


Mature 9 Request Fics

by Mable



Category: 9 (2009)
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Romance, Threadplay, mature - Freeform, rod/cylinder, rod/rod
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:54:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 41,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26484499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mable/pseuds/Mable
Summary: (Reposted from Fanfiction) A collection of 9 requests I completed from 2013-2017.
Relationships: 1/2 (9), 3/4 - Relationship, 3/6 (9), 4/5 (9), 5/7/9 (9), 5/9 (9), 7/9 (9), 9/Child
Kudos: 9





	1. 3x4: Protection to Affection

**Author's Note:**

> These were all request fics asked from users on Fanfiction and, due to their mature nature and general lack of representation of my current work, I've decided to move them here. I no longer take 9 requests, but I hope you enjoy whatever's here!

**_Protection to Affection_ **

_For Kira akashi 18_

The Emptiness was still a dangerous place after the Machine's defeat. Beasts still roamed the empty streets and waited for Stitchpunks to slip so they could attack. This was why travelling together to scout was so vital. That being said, being in a group tended to give the Stitchpunks an inappropriate sense of safety. First off, Seven decided to hurry ahead and scout out the next road, leaving the remaining four alone. Then Five and Nine became distracted looking over a bolt, or more obviously, got distracted making light flirtations at each other.

This left the twin Stitchpunks, Three and Four, free to wander inside of a nearby grocery store without any worry. They assumed that the others were nearby, so they were probably safe. The twins were mostly distracted in looking for can goods and bags of dried supplies; food that would've survived past the war and the years following it. Until now, they only managed to occasionally find some cocoa powder or the occasional sealed war meal, but this grocery store opened a new opportunity for them to pick and choose.

Most of the roof had caved in towards the back of the store, leaving a good portion of it inaccessible, and unfortunately dividing the remaining bit into two sections. One section was darker, shadowed under the remaining bit of roof, while the other was illuminated in the light pouring through the broken ceiling.

" _Maybe I should go ahead,"_ Four asked his twin curiously as he looked between both sides of the store. " _I could go check and make sure there aren't any beasts waiting for us."_

Three's optics widened and he tensely clasped his hands together. It was very Five-like; Four was under the impression that his twin had acquired this from Five. " _I don't know if we should do that…"_ The thought of being left behind, away from his close brother, frightened him incredibly. Three was fine wandering away from Five and Nine, but that didn't mean he wanted to leave his twin's side. Desperately, he reached out to take Four's hand. _"We should just go in together."_

" _It will just be a minute,"_ Four reassured as he patted his twin's hand. He then turned and headed into the shadowed section of the grocery store. His optics illuminated to lighten his was as he headed down the remaining isle that was standing. It was obvious that something had been here in the recent future. A few cans were cut open and only remnants of their content remained. Though these little bits smelled foul from being left out. Whatever opened these cans hadn't done it very recently.

The closer Four made it to the back, the emptier cans and torn burlap sacks he found. It was obvious that something had been hiding out here. While this should've been a sign that they needed to turn back, Four couldn't help but keep forward, and he watched as he approached some sort of nest tucked into an overturned box. The inside was filled with cotton fluff, cloth scraps, and newspaper pieces, but whatever made the home was not present. Four climbed into the bed and began to look around curiously.

From what he could tell, it appeared to be a rat's nest. Or some sort of animal that was close to a rat. This was a curious suggestion. Though Four's curiosity was short lived as he noticed something wet and sticky on the bottom of the box. He quickly pushed some of the bedding aside to reveal what it was, and immediately his body was filled with panic. The black substance was clearly oil and was certainly the sign of this being a beast nest instead of an animal one. With panic in his mind, Four scrambled and began to run back towards his twin.

Right as he was about to step out of the shadows and into the light, Four was struck by a horrific sight.

It almost had a body like a Cat Beast. Though it was primarily bipedal and at the end of its arms were long, narrow drills. It was smaller than a Cat Beast by far, but was still rather girthy, heavy, and carrying a skull on its head. It looked to be some sort of rodent by appearance, even though the skull seemed too big to fill this niche. Four remembered Seven mentioning a beast like this long ago; she had referred to it as a 'Rat Stalker', though maybe its rat appearance made him piece this beast to that one.

It was currently eyeing down what looked like another empty can at first glance. Though once the Rat Stalker randomly stabbed down into the top of it, and Four noticed his sibling was gone, he realized that his twin was probably hiding in the can. He briefly heard the clicking from the other Stitchpunks' rapid 'whispering' and knew he was in trouble. It was a small can so Three didn't have room to hide from the Beasts' fury. Even now it was trying to bring its drill back out so that it could stab in once again.

Four scrambled to look around for a possible escape, for a way to call the others or something, but nothing came to mind. There was only one risky option that immediately opened itself, and it relied on the hope that the Rat Stalker hadn't noticed there were two of them.

Inside the can, Three trembled and huddled in, attempting to hide from the seeking drill. He watched as it slowly slid out of the metal can, causing it to rock unsteadily. Then the beast let out a shrieking noise, more akin to a machine than any sort of rodent, and took a few heavy footsteps away. Confusion filled Three, but he stayed quiet and hidden, listening to see if the beast was leaving. Its thumping footsteps moved further away, growing rapidly quicker, and then a second set appeared as well. Though these were quicker and lighter.

" _Four?!"_ Three suddenly realized in panic. He pushed the can and rolled it until he could see out of the hole in the top. There was Four, trying to lure the beast off into the shadowed part of the shop. His optics flickered with light and he wave his arms dramatically. Every time the beast would charge him, he would dip out of the way. _"Four!"_ Three inwardly gasped as Four dodged a final time before sprinting back into the shop. The Rat Beast took pursuit. _"Oh no…"_

Three pattered out of the can and his optics flickered desperately, trying to somehow lure the beast back, but it was already too far gone. To his immediate relief, however, there were more footsteps as Nine and Five rushed into the store.

"What happened?!" Five asked in alarm and Three frantically pointed after the beast. Nine didn't need to be told twice as he promptly sped after the beast and the twin. Five looked back to Three, "Wait here, we'll get him!" He then turned and started after Nine. A few seconds later, Three dashed after the others, unwilling to sit behind as his twin was in danger.

Four knew he couldn't outrun the beast forever. He quickly stopped flickering and dove onto a bottom shelf. He hid behind an old, soggy box and waited for what to come. The Rat Stalker's footsteps came closer as Four tried to huddled down. Red light was thrown over the shadowed area, but it was dim. That being said, the twin had no doubt that the beast probably could see in the dark.

Before he could even react, the beast approached the other side of the box and shoved it to the side. Four looked back in a panic before the Rat Stalker's drill swung at him and knocked him in the middle. He was thrown to the floor a few feet away, landing heavily and sore on the hard ground. The beast dogged him and even before he had a chance to stand it was stabbing its drill at him. He managed to move his body back in time, but some of the fabric on his leg was torn in the process. Yet he had no voice to cry out with.

The Beast yanked back its drill and aimed both down at the Stitchpunk, preparing to strike once more. Its attack was prematurely halted when a pale form suddenly landed on its back. The Rat shrieked and began to turn in place, trying to struggle with the form clinging to it. Four recognized it as Seven and felt immediate relief in seeing her. This only intensified when he could see Nine and Five appear. Though it immediately dissipated once he saw Three.

He waved Three back, worried about the beast turning on his twin, but Three was determined and made a long loop out of the beast's range. He got to his twin's side quickly and held onto him, trying to pull him away. They didn't get a chance to escape before the battle suddenly shifted. Outnumbered and not expecting the aggression, the Rat Stalker made a surprising decision; it knocked Seven off and turned to flee. The female briefly followed in pursuit to make sure it wasn't planning to return or sneak in another way.

Five immediately turned his attention towards the downed twin. He rushed over and crouched down beside the smaller. "That's a nasty tear. I can stitch it, but- we need to get you home," Five quickly accessed as he put an arm under the scholar's back. Four was in obvious pain as he sat upwards and Three clung to his other side in an attempt to help.

" _I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"_ Three pleaded as he nuzzled into his twin's hood. Four responded by pressing his head back, but was too pained to speak. This was his first time with an injury like this and he was clearly struggling with it. Thankfully, they began to move the smaller Stitchpunk back to the Sanctuary.

Four had to be accessed and stitched once in the workshop. The entire time, Three sat nearby, watching with despair on his optics. It hurt him to see his twin in such a state, and it only hurt more knowing that it had partially been his fault for him getting hurt. Thankfully, Four was stitched quickly and was put on immediate bedrest by Two and Five. They then left the workshop after leaving on only a single, dim candle, and after telling Three that his twin would be fine if he got rest. The moment they were gone, Three rushed to Four's bedside.

He pushed past the curtain that framed the bed and collapsed on his twin, resting his head on his chest and beginning his round of pleading once again. Four was shocked and tried to lift him. _"Three, no, stop. It's okay, it's not your fault,"_ he tried to convince. He finally pulled Three onto his knees in a crouch on the bed. He could see his twin shiver and see his flickering optics, _"Please don't cry."_

" _You could've died!"_ Three pointed out before pulling into himself. He nervously tugged on his hood with one hand. _"I-I would've lost you… Because of me."_

" _You did nothing wrong,"_ Four firmly stated as he grabbed his twins' shoulders. _"I would do anything to keep you safe. I did what I had to. You being safe makes me know that what I did was right."_ He pulled Three in closer and wrapped his arms around his back. _"I love you too much to lose you."_

" _I-I love you too,"_ Three managed to force out. He was blushing so brightly that it nearly illuminated his hood. With desperation to hide this, he hid his face into his twin's shoulder. _"You scared me…"_

" _I'll be okay! You heard Two, I just need rest,"_ Four reassured with a smile. _"You'll stay with me, right?"_

" _Of course!"_ Three finally managed to muster the smallest of smiles. He climbed into the cot and eagerly slid underneath the covers with him. Almost immediately they began to huddle under the covers, clinging to each other. For the first couple of minutes it was as innocent as could be; Three had his arms wrapped tightly around Four's middle while Four began to pet and caress over his head, nudging his hood back to touch the hidden fabric underneath. It was warm and comforting, but it didn't last.

It didn't take too long before Four noticed that Three was starting to nuzzle more intently. The Stitchpunk's optics flickered in delight and he affectionately dragged his fingers down his twins' back. He pulled them tighter together, sighed, and continued to nuzzle and hug. His twin's behavior was almost suspect. " _Three?"_

Three looked up with all the adoration in his optics that he could muster.

" _Would you like to- I know you're probably tired and stressed from today…"_ Four bit down on his lip as he flickered. " _But would you like to…Do something else?"_

Three silently and sheepishly nodded in response. He only flickered again when Four took his lips.

A long time ago, Three and Four decided that siblinghood didn't matter when all the Stitchpunks were relatives. They never came out into the open about these feelings, but they had decided to explore their own feelings about each other in private. This had eventually led to them practicing ways of expressing how they felt. One of these ways was through physical mating. Considering that physical mating couldn't lead to any sort of pup or the like, there was no immediate threat except getting caught. Usually they would keep these rare activities to the safety of their library, but today was different.

Today they needed the reassurance, so there were no arguments. Being that Four couldn't move his leg too much, he coaxed them to both lay on their sides instead of the preferred method of him being on top. He held Three close before gently pressing their hips together. Three eagerly bucked back even though he had yet to show signs of true arousal.

" _Be patient, Love,"_ Four coaxed with an amused smile. _"I'll take care of you. I promise."_ Three's face glowed in a blush of green as he tried to slow down his eagerness. He shyly reached upwards to tug at his hood, but Four caught his hand. He gave it a loving squeeze before reaching to push his twin's hood back, so that he could see the rest of his face. He quickly pecked each of his cheeks before pressing their foreheads together. Then he moved his lower half to barely grind against his sibling. Three's optics flickered briefly, wanting more.

It wasn't too long before Three's part opened to his lover. Three was one of the Stitchpunks that had a cylinder, a female part, even though he was technically male. This phenomenon wasn't extremely surprising. The Scientist had foreseen that having eight males and one female would lead to trouble, and thus made more possibilities for the Stitchpunks to mate, unknowing whether soul bonding would work alone to create a new life. Thus, Three and Four got extremely lucky to not be identical in this aspect, as it made everything much easier.

Three still managed to get shy every time his cylinder appeared. Even though they had done this before, Three was always so self-conscious about himself, and Four found it both endearing and a shame. By now, his own object was appearing as well; his rod pressing on the inside of his fabric. He went to pull back, lightly wincing at the tension on his leg fabric, and started to open his front. He was quickly stopped by Three, who noticed his discomfort and started to open the twin's front himself, freeing his rod before he wrapped his arms around his lover's back.

Overeager, the twins decided to not press their luck with waiting. Two and Five could always return, so they had to use the time they had wisely. Four took Three's lips before pressing into his tight heat. It was such a smooth, yet constricting friction. It was metal, but gave the illusion of silk, and both pairs of optics flickered with the words and sounds they couldn't see. Three was ready enough that Four could fully sheath himself without much resistance. He still waited to make sure his twin was comfortable before continuing.

He drug his rod out before pressing it back in. Three shivered and tightened his fingers on the other's shoulders as tingles of pleasure spread along his back. Four nipped at his lips in partial kisses as he quickly began to increase the pace. He clutched to his twins' hips, pressing deep into his trembling heat, and easily ignored the pain in his leg in comparison to the pleasure flourishing through him. Three seemed to notice Four's pain. While he couldn't stop it, he reached upwards and pet his face instead, petting over his fabric cheeks.

The heat was only increasing. Three was starting to breathe much more shakily and his hips were raising to meet his lover's more eagerly. The tightening in his lower abdomen was only increasing further. Every moment, every push further, and then the pleasure raising to a higher peak. It was so close, almost there, and he was just about ready to plummet into this feeling they had created. He couldn't last as long tonight; neither of them could. With a few final, firm, precise, needy thrusts, Three was there.

He couldn't cry out; he could just let his optics illuminate to their brightest, unwavering point. He could only show through light how great this felt, but it was enough. A few flickers of green pulsed along his front as he slowly started coming down. With his tightening around the rod, Four was only able to thrust a few, final times as he too rode to the end. His flashing replaced Three's as he hit the delight of finality, but soon slowed, and finished with them collapsing together. Immediately, the twins cuddled close together under the blankets.

" _Thank you,"_ Three 'whispered' to his twin as he attentively closed his front.

" _You don't have to thank me,"_ Four pointed out with a blush. _"We did this together. Half of this is your doing too."_

" _Not that!"_ Three pointed out with a flicker of giggles. By now, he had a blush as well. _"I meant for saving me… You saved my life."_ He hugged tighter to his twin. They had gotten so close to one of them getting injured. Either of them could've been injured, but Four had risked himself to save him.

" _I would do anything for you. I love you,"_ Four insisted as he affectionately stroked over the scholar's uncovered head. _"You're worth risking my life for."_

" _But I don't want you to have to risk your life!"_ Three protested as he nuzzled into his friend's chin. _"Next time, we stay together please."_

Four gave a playful chime and nodded in agreement. Then, worn by the day and their activities, the twins drifted off to sleep holding each other. Nobody would suspect a thing; they would just assume that Three came in to comfort and show love to his twin.

Which, honestly, was exactly what happened.

_**FIN** _


	2. 9x5: Holding in the Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate Valentine's Day, the twins rope 5 into helping them set up 7 and 9. However, things don't seem to be going quite right, and 5 soon realizes that there may be a reason why.

_**Holding in the War**_ _**mth** _

_For Anonymous_

There was a heavy crunch as the looming being continued to pass by. Nine could only tighten his hands on his Lightstaff. His arms were protectively wrapped around Five, holding the Lightstaff on the other side of him. The healer was nearly trembling in his grasp, but Nine couldn't tell if it was from the snow or from the looming beast nearby. Another crunching footstep and Nine pressed into Five's back firmer. Overprotectiveness was setting in quickly and he was almost ready to run out, flag the beast down, and lead it off somewhere.

He had to keep Five close. That was the most important thing. He had a feeling that the one-eyed male was probably more cold than he realized. He had been directly sitting in the snow, after all, while Nine was crouched instead. The zippered male hugged him tighter and nuzzled into his shoulder. Then he tensed as he heard metal scrape against metal. Whatever it was, it was directly searching for them. Instead of the usual red, a blue glow was cast by its optic. Something about the change made Nine feel more uneasy than he could've expected.

Though right after the blue light was cast over the area, the sound of footsteps backed off. It, whatever it was, began to retreat to some other location. Nine exhaled in relief and slouched a bit against his friend. Five stayed a little tenser and was unable to relax. Even once the beast fully left the area, the one-eyed male was as stiff as could be. Nine lightly shook his shoulder, "Five, it's gone."

Five slowly looked back at him. His panting came out in short, fogged puffs, "Are… Are you sure?" He was starting to shiver and Nine realized that it wasn't from fear. The healer was freezing and Nine couldn't help but feel responsible. After all, he convinced Five to come out scouting with him.

"I'm pretty sure. We need to get moving and find shelter," Nine insisted as he stood. He quickly scanned the vicinity, seeing no Beast in sight, and then helped Five to his feet. The one eyed male stiffly brushed the snow off his own burlap.

"I-I don't think we can make it home," he suggested. He then noticed the snow on Nine, who was still looking away, and quickly dusted it off him as well. "Maybe we should find shelter?"

Normally Nine would argue with this. He would determinedly stand by them getting home. After all, the beast was still out and the snow was falling faster. However, one once over of Five and Nine knew that he was already stretching himself too far. The one-eyed male was scared and cold, and downright miserable. Nine hated seeing the Stitchpunk he cared so much about look so emotionally exhausted.

"We'll find someplace to stop," Nine promised him. He then took his hand, "Just follow me. Don't fall behind, okay?" Five nodded in agreement and they trudged through the rapidly deepening snow. It was a cold journey and even when they were blocked from the wind it didn't feel any more comfortable.

One house stood out to Nine. It looked to be mostly intact, except for an open front door. That gave them more than enough reason to enter the house. The zippered male patted Five's shoulder and pointed it out. The one-eyed male dragged his head upwards, looking sluggish in his movements. This only frightened Nine more and he put an arm around Five. Leading him directly, Nine started to approach the house. He knew that Five should've been much more prepared for the cold than he was and primarily blamed him getting wet in the snow.

As they entered the front of the house, they were met with the smell of dust and snow flurries blowing in behind them. Nine turned his Lightstaff on and shined the light over the entranceway, not wanting to come in following the beast that had been hunting them. It didn't take long to realize that the house was untouched.

Five inhaled in a seethe as his shivering became more aggressive. "I-Is there a fireplace? I can make a fire," he suggested with his craving for warmth. However, Nine neither could see a fireplace in the living room area nearby, nor did he think it was a quick enough solution.

"Well… Maybe. First, let's try to find something faster," Nine suggested as he rubbed on Five's back. The healer moved closer to him, eagerly accepting his warmth and comfort. They continued along the hallway until passing another doorway later. Checking inside, Nine could see that it was a master bedroom. At first the bed seemed like a good place to warm Five. Then he noticed the kerosene lantern sitting on the bedside stand. Nine knew he could light it easily and knew that they would be warm under its glow.

"In here," Nine beckoned as he nudged Five inside. The bed was large and covered with a thick comforter that was easy to climb, even for Five's stiff frame. Once at the top, Nine nudged Five down onto the pillow. "Lay down and let me tuck you in. I'll turn on the kerosene lamp to help." The zippered male brought out a match from Five's bag as he set it aside.

"Nine, I'm… I'm wet. I should dry off," Five tried to encourage, but Nine was insistent.

"No, it's fine. You can get dry under the blanket; I… I need to get this lamp on for you," he smiled worriedly and hopped onto the bedside nightstand. He fiddled with the kerosene lamp, raising the wick and lifting the glass to light it. The lamp was soon alit in a warm glow and, thankfully, seemed to be giving off some heat.

"Nine… What if is co-omes back?" Five shuddered as he quietly asked this question. His voice was heavy with fear, which concerned Nine further.

"It won't. It… Hold on," Nine hopped to the bed and climbed down to the floor, starting towards the bedroom door.

"Nine, wait!" Five called after him. There was panic in his voice as he sat upwards in the bed.

"I'll be right back! Stay covered!" Nine nearly commanded the buttoned male as he headed into the hallway. He quickly ran to the doorway and started to push the door closed. He stopped with the door against the frame; so, it didn't fully click into place. This way he would still be able to open it without too much trouble, but beasts would hopefully buy the rouse. He then hurried back to the bedroom and repeated the action with that door. "See? I'm already back," he called onto the bed with a smile.

He climbed back onto the bed. To his immediate distress, he could see that Five was shivering still. He shuffled closer and sat down alongside him, putting his arms around his frame. "Feeling any warmer?" Nine asked with clear concern. He couldn't stand feeling the other tremble so much.

"A little…" Five responded in a quiet tone. Indeed, to Nine's surprise Five did feel a little less cold, but he was still trembling more than he needed to be. It suddenly clicked that perhaps it wasn't just the cold that left Five shaking. Nine knew that Five tended to tremble in a stressful situation, but considering the snow it hadn't been Nine's first assumption.

"Oh, Five…" Nine murmured in concern and moved closer. He held Five tighter against his chest. "Five, we're safe now. It's not going to find us in here. I'm going to keep you safe," Nine reassured him further. From the way Five clung to him, he had a feeling that the healer wasn't fully reassured just yet. "I love you, Five. I'd never let anything hurt you… Never again."

Hearing the sudden tone that Nine's voice, Five finally regained his voice, "I know you wouldn't! I… I love you too." The exchange of affectionate words wasn't uncommon amongst the two of them. Especially not once they became mates. "I just… It was so sudden… I've never seen anything like that…"

"Try not to think about it, Love," Nine murmured with a nuzzle against the neck. "Just let me see if I can stop the shakes." With that he pulled back enough to slide between Five and the pillow behind him. He slowly began to massage at his shoulders in small circles, working his thumbs in around the stitches that lingered there. Five's reaction was immediate; he gave a shaky sigh and then began to melt into Nine's hands. "Is that better?" Nine asked with a more confident smile.

"Y-Yeah, that's- that's great," Five continued to sigh, then groaned, and leaned back further into Nine's hold. Five was weak to massages; he always had been. Since the day he was created he had always been rendered immobile by gentle caresses. Nine very literally knew how to push Five's buttons. It wasn't too long before Nine had tugged him back against his zipper and moved on to Five's own front. While his left hand held Five against him, and he gently kissed at Five's neck and shoulder, Nine's right hand moved to trace over Five's upper button.

Naturally, Five's gasps continued, just as Nine hoped they would. There was no doubt that the healer was still nervous about the beast that loomed outside, but the fact that he didn't stop him gave Nine confidence.

"I love you so much, Five," Nine admitted with another kiss. "I hate seeing you like this. So afraid of something, even if it's just a beast. I'm supposed to be protecting you…" Nine left out the part where he condemned himself for a less than perfect job. If he had been a little quieter then perhaps the beast wouldn't have seen them in the first place, but he tried not to dwell on it. Five needed him to focus on pleasuring him, not get distracted on his own laments.

"Y-You do protect me," Five squeaked out. His heavy voice managed to raise just a bit higher, fueled by the new touches. Nine rewarded this comment with a kiss on the shoulder. He then continued by moving his hand down to the lower button, tracing it in circles. "K-Keep going. I-It's making me feel- ah- warmer," Five admitted further. This was his own, meek way of showing that he wanted more.

Nine immediately gave in and move down further. His hands moved down to Five's hips and pulled them tighter together. He could feel the plushness of Five's backside pressed against his lower front. He fought the urge to move against it; he always loved the softness and relished in it being all his. Every part of Five had become his to hold and love, and Nine couldn't help but adore that. His right hand traced along Five's inner thigh, feeling the one eyed male jump at the more intimate contact.

"Easy…" Nine murmured as he pet his hip with his other hand. He knew Five was only this jumpy because of what had happened earlier. "I'll take care of you," Nine promised further and turned to kiss Five on the patch. The healer sighed and began to relax, starting to feel Nine slide closer to the inside of his thigh. His fingers traced the one-eyed male's burlap along familiar patterns. His free hand then moves from his hip and instead slips between Five's legs. The healer eagerly let his legs spread in response.

Apparently Nine wasn't the only one anticipating their night going in a different direction. When he brushed over the fabric between Five's legs, he could feel that the male's cylinder was already open and eager. This triggered a hot blush to settle onto Nine's face. "I didn't expect you to- being so shaky and all- you know," Nine finished his awkward statement with a chuckle.

Five started to blush as well, "I-I didn't expect you to get so curious." The retort didn't stop Nine, nor did the embarrassment cause Five to shut down.

Nine traced the tips of his copper fingers over Five's opening. Regardless of how cold Five had been, his opening was warm to the touch and signaled the heat deep inside. The zippered male had almost been as cold as Five was, and while he was warming quickly, the thought of tight heat was too wonderful to bear. He started to press a finger inside, listening to Five groan above him. One wouldn't be enough, so he slid in a second one alongside it. By now Five was panting, though more in anticipation than overwhelming pleasure.

As he pressed his digits in further, Nine couldn't help but rock his hips against his mate. By now his rod was probably able to be felt through both of their fabric, he knew this, but he couldn't control his own body. He couldn't control the sensation to grind and silently plead for something more. Though he mostly focused on appeasing his mate, continuing to caress his inner walls.

That was, until Five abruptly stopped him. "Wait, wait. I- Let me- Let me just…" the healer quietly panted as he nudged Nine's hand back. The zippered male freed his hand from his mate's tightness and instead moved to comfortably hold his hip. The healer started to slide upwards, sliding against the zippered male's burlap as he did so. It took Nine a minute to realize what Five was doing. The healer reached back and naturally grasped Nine's zipper, tugging it down without having to even look back at him.

Nine could only groan at the sensation of his rod sliding out between the teeth of his zipper. Before he even had a moment to react, Five lined his cylinder with his rod.

"Is this- is this okay?" Five asked shyly. This was the first time he had been so bold. Usually their lovemaking sessions followed a similar route; cuddling, kissing, nuzzling, and then Nine guiding himself into Five. This time he was taking more charge about it, which surprised the zippered male. After all, Five had been so fearful earlier.

"Of course! I… I've never see you like this… I like this," Nine gave a goofy smile as he admitted such. Five turned back and gave an equally awkward smile. Nine found his blush- so strong that it shined through his patch- to be completely adorable. He cupped his mate's cheek and pulled him back far enough that they could meet lips in a gentle kiss. It was warm, it was passionate, but compared to the situation it was much more soft than one would expect. Five's kisses were always gentle and backed with emotion more than arousal.

Five then moved back into position, his eager opening over Nine's rod, and then pressed down onto it. Five's cylinder eagerly opened and let Nine's rod slide into its warm, tight, and slick depths. The lubrication fluid assisted in the easy entrance. There was no pain; Five was already so used to the pressure and pleasure that nothing held him back. He slowly slid down onto Nine and tightened around him. The zippered male was nearly gasping at the sensation.

"Five, that's- Ah!" Nine gasped out. It felt so much different to have Five lower himself onto him. The lack of control made each sensation a bit more precise feeling. It felt so wonderful, and Five began to slowly raise and lower himself. He started to move slightly faster, trying to get accustomed to this new angle. Nine tried to assist, grasping at his hips and backside with over-eagerness, but most of it was being done by Five on his own. He didn't exactly mind though. Especially not as the action helped him ignore the biting chill.

Nine hugged Five from behind as he ground his hips upwards. He couldn't get out the words, but he showed everything he needed to with the motions alone. The plushness against his lower front, the familiar cylinder around his rod, the soft gasping from his love; Nine was in complete heaven. Five tightened a little further and gave a shudder.

"N-Nine!" Five sputtered out and followed with a gasp as a deeper spot was struck. His cylinder tightened and loosened around Nine, nearly driving the zippered male to the brink. Almost, but not quite yet.

"Creator, Five, I'm already there," Nine tried to force a low tone, but his body still showed his desperation. His hips were bucking and rocking without shame, his hands were now blatantly squeezing Five's backside alone, and the pressure of release was starting to build. He couldn't remember the last time that he wasn't able to hold out longer than Five, but this seemed to be it. A few more thrusts and the male seemed to tighten impossibly harder around him. The heat built higher, pent more pressure, and then suddenly Nine hit the end.

" _Five!_ " all he could get out was Five's name. Nine could see static on his vision as sharp, throbbing pleasure wracked through his body. He could barely catch his breath as he watched Five continue to drive himself onto the rod. A few more moments passed by, a few tense and tight moments, and then Five followed along with Nine. He gave a cry and gasp, trembling, and clamped down around Nine. He hit his end with a vengeance and trembled, then collapsed back onto Nine.

He was completely out of breath, completely spent, and Nine eagerly dragged the blanket upwards to tuck around his mate. He pulled him into a warm hug and nuzzled into him, now having the male facing him. Eventually Five was somewhat roused and hugged tightly against the zippered male. Nine could already feel that Five had relaxed quite a bit, and it filled him with warm relief.

"Feeling better? Not as cold?" Nine suggested with a playful smile.

Five answered with a blush and his usual, sweet smile, "Much better. I… Wow." Nine chuckled at Five's bemusement as the latter pressed into his front. "I love you."

"I love you too," Nine immediately answered, kissing him on the top of the head. He would've preferred the lips, but Five seemed too tired to even lift his head.

"What about… What about getting home?" Five quietly asked. He sounded too tired to be overly concerned, which Nine preferred. "It's pretty cold out there… Might not be good for our health." The boldness was starting to finally return, and the fear had finally started to ease.

"Maybe not," Nine playfully answered. "Maybe we should stay the night here. We can always leave tomorrow. It'll be safer and warmer if we just spend the night together. What do you think?" He affectionately caressed over the buttoned male's number.

"I think that's a good idea," Five agreed. "…I think you can keep me safe." The added in portion was heavy with love. He leaned upwards and pressed his lips to Nine's. Nine eagerly returned the affectionate kiss, unafraid of whatever laid outside their shelter.

It was almost amusing to Nine. To think that some time earlier Five had been in his arms, but had been freezing and fearful, and both had been in danger. Now he was holding his mate to him, sharing warmth without fear, and the risks were much smaller. Though Nine learned long ago that he would have to go through the troubling times to get to these rewards.

Five was completely worth it. This moment, holding him close, was completely worth it.

_**FIN** _


	3. 5x7x9: When Having to Choose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both in love but unwilling to ruin their close relationship, 9 and 5 ask 7 to choose who she wants as a mate. However, 7 finds herself torn. Perhaps she doesn't even have to choose at all. 7x9x5, Request fic.

_**When Having to Choose** _

_For Random Person_

Things had become extremely complicated after the Machine War in the most unexpected of ways.

The Stitchpunks were now all living in the Library together, trying to rebuild a home and a family. So far it had been working out well. One had calmed down, Eight helped the twins move heavy objects, Two had regained the ability to walk again, and Six had even started drawing things other than the talisman. Everything had seemed like it was going in the right direction for the Stitchpunks. Seven had even learned to relax and settle down more.

Unfortunately, there was one issue that was starting to grow into a big problem. As luck would have it, Seven was involved with it as well, and this was almost entirely reluctantly. In a way it was partially Seven's fault; she had known long ago that Five pined for her and saw the signs that Nine was doing it too. Yet Seven was reluctant to get involved in a relationship with anyone. It had seemed so confining, so risky, so she had not dealt with either. Now she was a different Stitchpunk, she was more comfortable with the idea, but the damage was done.

Or, more specifically, Nine and Five were starting to compete over her. She knew it immediately; suddenly both Nine and Five were too willing to tag along on a scouting mission, too ready to help move things that she could move herself, and always one would chime in after the other. At first it was childishly innocent, but it was starting to become more heated, and Seven had a suspicion why. It had been an incident that had alerted her to just how complex this. It had been when the three of them were out scouting.

Long story short; Nine and Five bickered about whether or not Nine should try to hop across a ditch. If they had been alone Seven suspected that the bickering wouldn't have even been present. However, Nine was determined and flung himself over said ditch, clearly trying to impress Seven. That is, until he plummeted into the ditch and twisted his arm. Five was on his side in a second; checking his arm and fussing over him. As what tended to follow injuries, Nine broke into apologies, Five as well, and they hugged to make up.

It was during this brief time that Seven realized there was clearly something going on between Nine and Five. She had never noticed it before, but when she wasn't in the picture the two tended to be rather affectionate. Hugs, warm smiles, and compliments were only few of the things shared. Seven still hadn't stepped in, not realizing that this was all a recipe for disaster until it was too late. Just the night before, Nine and Five, being such good and affectionate friends, had finally decided to sit down and discuss the situation like adults.

There had been no arguing, just some awkwardness and a chuckling here and there. They then came to an agreement to salvage their friendship. They would ask Seven who she wanted to be with and let her decide. This seemed like a fine situation, and would have been if Seven herself wasn't so indecisive. She had overheard the conversation and by time they were hugging again, she knew she would be stuck with a difficult choice. Realistically she only had three options and didn't consider asking for more time one of them. She couldn't put this off.

The first option was choosing Nine. Nine was friendly, outgoing, brave; he would be good to scout with and was great at making decisions on the fly. However, Nine could be headstrong and reckless, which was a trait Seven also shared and didn't believe was a good one to share. The second option was choosing Five. Five was warm, patient, down-to-Earth; he was an excellent healer and would be good to come home to. However, even with Five regaining more of a backbone, Five was still rather timid and didn't enjoy scouting as much.

Option three was to turn both down and hope that they get into a relationship. As selfish as it was, Seven didn't want to make this decision. They would be happy, yes, but she would be alone. Recently Seven herself had been imagining the prospect of having a mate. It was probably spurred on by the couples forming it the Sanctuary; Two clearly forgave One a bit too fast and Six was spending a few too many nights in Eight's room. It only made this more complicated. Seven didn't like the feeling of being trapped in a decision that would ultimately alienate one of them.

But she accepted it. So when Nine and Five finally asked to talk to her, stepping into her room, she agreed without hesitation. She would just have to make her choice as it came. "Seven, we… We both are interested in you," Nine admitted and rubbed his neck.

"And you've probably noticed it." Five chimed in with an awkward chuckle, "Yeah, these last couple of weeks have been a little… Out of character for us."

Seven couldn't resist a tiny smile, "I think I noticed something."

Both were awkward in their own way; Nine's hands kept moving while Five wrung his. "So we were just… Wondering if you were, you know, interested in one of us," Five offered and gestured between them both.

Nine nodded in agreement, then raised his hands dismissively, "But it's your decision. Five and I already talked it over and, no matter who you pick, we're all going to stay friends. It's really no pressure." In their own way, both was equally adorable. Both were perfect candidates to be her romantic partner.

"I'm glad that you did that. There's no point in unneeded drama," Seven responded. She let a small sigh slip, briefly revealing her uncertainty. "Just give me a moment."

Both nodded and chimed in. Nine with, "Of course," and Five with, "Take your time." For a few seconds Seven was completely unsure what to do. Every option had its downsides and led to someone being singled out. With the Stitchpunks' numbers as well, it was unlikely that the odd Stitchpunk would get another chance at having a mate. It was the sad realization from having so few Stitchpunks. It was almost too much to deal with and Seven tried to think of a way out.

Then it suddenly hit her. Her face brightened, she perked a bit, and she faced the two males with a confident smile. "Who says we have to make a choice?"

Nine and Five didn't seem to catch on at first. Nine gave a confused, "What do you mean?" while Five just looked perplexed.

To Seven, the idea seemed absolutely perfect. "You both are attracted to me, right? You said so yourself. But I know for a fact that I am not the only one that either of you love."

A blush hit Five's face immediately while Nine seemed to have not caught on. "T-That's not, we're just-," Five stuttered out in embarrassment, as though he did something wrong.

Seven was out to prove that this wasn't the case. "I see how you two are around each other," the warrior pointed out. "You're not just friends. I've seen how you take care of each other, how much you worry about each other, and I know there's something more going on."

Nine looked towards Five in surprise and the healer shockingly murmured a confession. "I…Yeah… I noticed that…" Five also noticed Nine staring and blushed harder. His face glowed with his green soul and he quietly added in, "I don't know. I just-… I know I care a lot about you too, Nine."

"Me too, Five," Nine gave a small smile. It was a little lopsided, a little awkward, and then he looked back towards Seven. "But I don't really understand, Seven."

The pale female was glad to explain the situation, "What says that there has to be a couple? Yes, it's traditional, but we could change that. What if… All three of us were together?"

Five looked flabbergasted, "What? But- But that's- One would-!"

Seven interrupted him, "Don't worry about what One thinks, Five. You've worried too much about what One thinks in your life." She reached out slowly and cupped his cheek, brushing his patch. "What about you, Five? Knowing that both Nine and I love you, who would you choose?"

Five still sputtered, "Nobody said-!" He looked between them both. Seven was clearly being honest and Nine wasn't arguing. "I… I don't know…" Now they both looked to Nine, silently asking the same question.

The zippered male looked between the two of them and then finally made a decision, "I don't either. I-I thought I was sure, but if we're really honest then I do feel something for you, Five." They were now both filled with doubt.

This wasn't exactly Seven's intention, but she could work with it, and she turned to smile at Nine. "Both of you have so many wonderful things about you, and for some reason you feel the same way about me. Why must we choose?"

It was now Nine who was questioning it. However, his was more from his own curiosity and from his lack of knowledge on the subject. "Why… Hasn't there been any three person couples before, though?" Seven decided to completely ignore human relations and stick strictly to Stitchpunks.

"Because neither One nor Eight are the kind to share," she responded with a somewhat coy smile. Five gave a light snicker at the comment. "I don't want to do this if you two aren't certain, and I don't want to complicate things if it will hurt you, but I think that this is the best outcome for the three of us… I really want this," Seven admitted to the two of them. It embarrassed her to show so much weakness about the situation, but she knew she couldn't hide it. Instead she waited for one of them to react.

This just happened to be Nine. He gained a determined look and gave a nod, "Then let's do it. There's no reason we can't, right?" He sent a more amused smile to Five, "What could One do? Ban us from seeing one another? It's not like that would work. All we have to do is suggest this thing between him and Two and he vanishes."

This caused Five's blush to return in full. Even he was a bit bashful thinking about his mentor being in a romantic relationship. He then noticed that Nine and Seven were staring at him. "It's, uh, my turn, isn't it?" He awkwardly shuffled in his spot, blushing heavily. Everything was extremely complicated to him and he was torn down the middle. "I… I don't know… I-Uh," he cut off as Nine's hand rested on his shoulder. It affectionately squeezed his fabric. "I mean, I want to, but I… I really don't know," Five admitted sheepishly.

"If we all want this then let's just… Let's just go for it!" Nine insisted with a giddy smile.

Seven nodded and agreed, "If it doesn't work out then we're not stuck, right? Let's just try this out. There's no risk."

Now Five seemed more convinced and gave a more present smile, "I… Okay. Let's try this." A few seconds passed, "…So what do we do?"

It didn't take Seven long to go with the flow. She sat down on her bed, "Sit with me. We'll… Figure out what's next later. For now, let's just stay together."

While Five was still hesitant, Nine stepped closer, "Sounds good to me." He lightly stumbled over Seven's foot but managed to fall on the bed in the sitting position. He got a rather goofy smile afterwards, but he didn't land himself sprawled across Seven's lap like in the past. Seven lightly laughed and reached out to cup his cheek, bringing him closer and nuzzling their foreheads together. Her helmet was pushed back and she coaxed it along. Eventually Five shuffled in a little and took the helmet off for Seven.

He then held it awkwardly, watching as Nine caressed the back of Seven's head. He eagerly traced the fabric that was so frequently covered by the helmet. "I… I always thought you were amazingly bold, but I never expected you were this bold," Nine playfully pointed out.

A slight smirk edged onto his lips, but faded away quickly as he kissed her on the forehead. "Let's just say I'm not afraid of trying new things. If I'm not afraid of Beasts, why would I be afraid of you and Five?" She sent her own look of playfulness, getting an immediate chuckle of a response. Five gave an awkward chuckle too, but still wasn't directly involved. He simply stood there and watched. Nine caressed over her back, tracing the remnants of her number with loving caresses. It only nudged Seven further.

She felt her own needs returning with vengeance and traced down Nine's zipper. She wanted more, but wasn't sure if she was ready to soul bond just yet. Her mind turned to more physical ways of expressing love. Because of this, she moved her hand away from Nine's zipper and instead moved it down to stroke over Nine's thigh. The younger male inhaled sharply, but responded positively. He needed it just as much and returned her need by lifting her face and meeting their lips together. The kiss was smooth, warm, and unrestrained.

Nine's lips were rougher, but his burlap also felt warmer. They separated soon afterwards and exchanged eager smiles. This was good. This felt good. However, something was missing, and they separated to look over at Five. Five was blushing even harder than before. His mouth was agape, his pupil was narrowed, and he shyly continued to watch from the side. As he saw them looking over, he quietly added in, "Don't worry about me! I'm just, uh… Just over here."

Seven raised a stitched brow in amusement and Nine chimed in, "Then why don't you just come over here?" The playfulness continued and seemed to help the healer get more relaxed. He sat on the edge of the bed. Seeing this, Nine moved to the other side of Seven to be closer to Five. He reached out and rested a hand on the one-eyed male's back. He coaxed him closer to them, affectionately moving in to hug him. Seven watched Nine comfort Five, feeling the warm continue to swell inside. Even though she was just watching, she still felt like part of it, and felt no disappointment in sitting aside to let Nine work with Five.

"It's just so weird. I feel so weird," Five admitted as Nine cupped over his patch, tracing along the stitches.

"I do too," Nine admitted. "…But I like it." His smile became more lopsided, clumsier, and then he boldly moved in to kiss Five. The buttoned male gasped into the kiss, but didn't pull back or push him away. He almost immediately relaxed into it. Nine held him close and continued the loving kiss as long as he could, wanting to convince Five through his actions to stay. Seven caressed over Nine's back and traced his number as he had to hers. Finally, the kiss was relented so that Nine and Five could get air.

"Wow…" Five gasped out. Nine continued to smile, now blushing as well.

This was when Seven tapped his shoulder, "I know you're getting a little distracted, Nine, but I'd like a turn with Five." Her tone was playful and as he shifted against the wall she scooted beside him. She reached out to take Five into an affectionate embrace, "We don't want you feeling like a third wheel, now do we?" She kissed his patch and rested her hands on his shoulders, lightly massaging them.

He slid his arms around her lower waist and hugged her closer to him. He was finally starting to lose himself to it and both Seven and Nine were pleased to see it. Nine, meanwhile, had moved to start kissing around Seven's neck. Seven gave a soft sigh against his patch and shifted closer. Her legs were folded on the bed so he wasn't in much control of them. She hadn't intentionally moved her knee between Five's in the way she did, but the response was immediate. Seven knew what she felt and Five responded by jumping back out of the way.

He scrambled to cover himself with the blanket, "Maybe this isn't a good idea! I-I mean we were just, we just decided to become this, so maybe we should wait?" Seven knew exactly why he was flustered. His true feelings on the touches could be felt in the obvious firmness under his fabric. Five had never been touched before, never tried something this intimate, so it only made sense that his body would react how it did.

Nine didn't see what happened and, thus, had no idea what was going on. "Five, what's wrong?"

"It's just, you know, so fast, and I-I just…" Five sputtered further.

It was now that Seven spoke up, "Five, it's nothing to be ashamed of. You're a healer, Five, you _know_ that this is nothing to be ashamed of."

Five nearly glanced down, but stopped himself. "I…" he exhaled wearily. "I know, I just… This is just… Just really embarrassing. Nine's not- and you're not- Oh Creator, don't think it- it wasn't from me watching you!" Nine was starting to catch on and Seven gave a small chuckle, one of good nature. Trying to show that she thought nothing poorly of him.

"Even if it was, if there anything wrong with that? I mean, we're all mates now…" Seven suggested to him. He stood there, considering this, and then slowly sat down again. The blanket remained on him, though.

It was around now that Nine caught on and then he was starting to become a little hesitant. "Uh, I should probably forewarn you both that I…" He raised his hands almost defensively, getting an awkward smile, "Am going completely off of guessing. I have no idea how we mate or anything like that. You know, physically."

As though Five couldn't look any more bashful. Seven looked to him briefly, though, and the healer decided to force himself to explain. After all, Two had taught him about it before most of the others. "Well, there's actually two different ways to mate. The first- uh…" He cut off as Seven stood and switched places with Nine, putting him closer to Five. "The first is Soul Bonding, where Stitchpunks has their souls… Bond… But that's pretty- it's pretty serious. The other way is more physical and, uh, yeah…" He subconsciously pressed the blanket between his legs tighter.

Nine took a moment to process this. "Oh, so that's… Oh Five, you don't have to be embarrassed-."

"Nine-."

"No, listen to me! It's nothing to be ashamed of. Especially when we're… You know." Nine put an arm around Five and tugged him in closer. Five responded well to the touch and started to let his doubts slip again, embracing Nine affectionately. Noticing that Seven was notably left out again, Nine now focused on her, kissing her once again. She was feeling her need starting to grow and let impatience overtake her a little more firmly. She pressed her body further against Nine's, pressing their hips together. She could feel that he too was starting to become aroused.

With a purr of delight, she lightly ground against him, coaxing him further. Neither of them could hold back from the temptation. "Are we- Are we really doing this?" Seven asked now. She wasn't uncertain or doubtful, but she needed their reassurance. She needed Nine and Five to be the ones who were confident.

Nine accepted the challenge, "Yeah… I think we are… How do we…?" Five silently reached forward to stroke over Nine's hip. He knew that if he didn't make his presence known he would be left behind. He reached around Nine's body and traced his zipper track with his fingers. Nine gasped at the sensation and Seven leaned back against her pillow to watch them. Taking ahold of his zipper pull, Five slowly tugged Nine open and revealed his inner metals.

Seven hadn't seen them, but Five had frequently worked on him and did medical checkups, so he knew how everything was placed. He knew that, pressed against his back, Nine could feel Five's own arousal against his backside. Yet Five didn't move aside. Instead, he focused on opening Nine. Nine's rod slid out into the open and Five moved back to massaging Nine's hips again.

"Just, uh… Just trying to make you more comfortable," Five managed to choke out. The younger male turned his head to briefly press back against him, in a motion full of affection. After this, Nine turned to Seven, looking down at her with arousal in his optics. She knew he could see her arousal; Five could to if he would look upwards from his embarrassed gaze at Nine's back. The zippered male moved in closer and Seven eagerly hooked her arms around him, moving him closer.

"Five, why don't we… Show Nine how we do this?" she offered in invitation. This seemed to snap Five into gear and he moved tighter against Nine's back, kissing along his shoulder and neck. Nine, meanwhile, moved Seven in just a little closer, holding her by the hips and guiding her.

"I think I… I know what I'm supposed to do…" Nine was now the one who was more sheepish, but Seven still felt his rod press against her cylinder. She gave a suppressed groan at the sensation and tried to hold back from pressing herself further onto him. "Are you sure?" Nine asked her, kissing her pale cheek.

Seven nodded in clear agreement, "Yes. Go on." Nine didn't have to be told twice. Slowly he started to push into Seven's heat. The Warrior had expected a little pain, but the sensation of being penetrated for the first time was more uncomfortable than painful. It was more tight than she expected, but Nine was moving slow and she trusted herself to adjust to the new sensation inside her. He slowly moved in until he was fully concealed, panting as he waited for some sort of answer.

"Keep going," Seven muttered through a tightened mouth. He nodded and slid back, somewhat coaxed by Five's hands which were still on his hips. It occurred to both Nine and Seven that Five was not being equally tended to, but the Healer was not complaining. As Nine slid out and started to press back in, Five pressed firmer against his back, lightly grinding his eager rod against the softer portion of his backside. Seven gasped as Nine slid in a little faster.

"Was that- Did that hurt?" Nine asked with concern, his voice filled with his own pleasure.

"No," Seven choked out. "No, it was… It was something different; keep going. I want to feel more." Nine didn't argue or protest in the slightest and continued to thrust into Seven. Every time he pulled back he would press into Five, who now had his face buried in Nine's shoulder. The thrusting grew a little faster as Seven relaxed more, letting Nine enter faster. Her hands gripped at Nine's shoulders and she eagerly moved back against him. Five held his hips and continued to grind against his backside.

Between them both, Nine soon realized that he didn't have much control of the situation. Seven and Five were fully overtaking him and he was simply going along with it. As much as he shouldn't have been, he felt a sort of eagerness at this. Something about giving away more control only made it feel better. It didn't take him long to feel the pressure growing in his lower area. He didn't understand the sensation, but could only gasp and groan as the pleasure tightened around him. It was starting to drag him down as his hips trembled between his two mates.

It was Seven who pushed Nine to the breaking point. She seemingly decided at that moment to go a little faster and tightened her cylinder around his rod. He didn't even expect what happened. It was as though the pressure got more and more great until it abruptly burst. Nine couldn't even stop it as he frantically thrust a few more times, calling out in ecstasy as it all seemed to suddenly hit a white-hot end. It was only once Nine was coming down, his head numb and his body relaxing, that the same thing overtook Seven.

Nine pressed his lips to hers as she rode out her own climax. She tried to return the kiss, but she was obviously more distracted by the physical reaction. It is now that Nine realizes that only one of them has not hit some sort of end. Naturally it is Five, who wasn't engaging in something like the other two were. It only made sense that it would take him longer, but even at this pace his was becoming slightly erratic. Nine reached back to hold Five closer, grasping onto his backside unintentionally, and tried to rub back against him. Trying to give Five just a little more.

This seemed to help as Five gave a moan of pleasure and thrusted a little harder. It was strange to feel an object just like his own rubbing against him. Nine squeezed Five's backside a bit more firmly; he had always wondered if it was as soft as it looked, but never dared to even think of it for more than a second. He was more than thrilled to feel that Five was much plusher than he could've imagined.

It was then that Five suddenly hit his end. He gave a cry against Nine's burlap as something wet spilled out of him. Nine hadn't noticed the fluid exit him since he had been so lost in his pleasure. A short wave of embarrassment overtook him from the thought. Exhausted, Five dragged himself back and leaned against the wall. Seven was still laying back on the pillow, having watched Nine and Five's short display.

The zippered male was also exhausted and, after seeing that she left them enough room to do so, laid down beside her on the bed. He then boldly reached to grab Five's wrist, coaxing him to lay down alongside them. The Healer was smiling a bit shyly as he laid down between Nine and the wall.

"That's was… That was just- I don't even know what to call that!" Nine admitted in amazement as he stretched out on the bed.

"Yeah, it was… It- Yeah, wow…" Five was still a little too flustered to speak. He had turned to face the wall, but didn't sound disappointed or upset. More so he seemed to be embarrassed about his own portion of the behavior.

Seven reached over Nine and laid her hand on his shoulder, attempting to turn him over. "Come on, Five. Don't hide from us now."

"I-I'm not hiding!" Five responded, both amused and meek in the same sentence. Nine and Seven both knew better.

Nine slid an arm underneath him, holding him in a one-armed hug, and then looked to Seven. "So this is what being mates is like… It's not what I was expecting. It's much better than I was expecting," he joked playfully. This got a snicker out of Seven and a light chuckle out of Five.

"There's some other things, of course, but considering we handled this so well I don't see it being a problem," Seven explained, rolling on her belly and laying against Nine's chest.

"…Yeah, but maybe not tonight," Five added in matter-of-factly.

This got an immediate laugh out of Nine who pulled him closer to the two of them. "I don't know, Five. You didn't get as much attention as we did. Maybe we should try again and make sure you get the focus," Nine suggested. While he was being playfully flirty, both Seven and Five could detect honesty in his voice.

Seven gave in as well, "He's right, Love. You deserve a little more two on one time." The glow on Five's cheeks was brighter than ever before. There would certainly be another night, but not tonight. They had all the time in the world now that they were together. "Uh, I-I think we should get a little rest before we, uh, before it- You know."

Nine agreed and Seven sighed, "So I suppose this means no convincing you two to go scouting with me?" She was still teasing, but perhaps there was a little honesty in her voice as well. Scouting was going to be different from now on. She was going to have two people who she needed to be there for.

"Maybe after we rest a little? I wouldn't mind going out for a little while," Nine suggested with an affectionate smile. He looked to Five to double check, "What do you think, Five? Sounds good?" Five quietly agreed, still somewhat meek from the whole affair. Seven watched them with contentment in her optics.

Everything was going to be different, but this was their choice. Seeing Nine's soft chuckle and Five's shy smile, Seven knew she made the right one.

_**FIN** _


	4. 9xChild: A Stitch in Nine

_**A Stitch in Nine** _

_For Queenofthebuckets_

Nine and Child's relationship had become something wonderful in the past few months. As mates, the two spent much of their time together, and a significant portion of that time was devoted to more romantic activities. Cuddling, kissing, and other affectionate gestures became a staple rather quickly, so it wasn't too surprising when their relationship advanced to actual mating. Since then, things had been great, only having a slight hiccup in the more recent days. It had only been for about a week, but Nine had suddenly become reluctant to mate.

There wasn't a given reason that was consistent. Sometimes Nine was tired, sometimes he was sore after a long day, sometimes he just wanted to be held; Child didn't argue, but the trend was coming more apparent. Regardless of what he suggested or when he did, Nine was not wanting to mate. That much was clear. Or it was, until the zippered male decided that he was ready to talk about it. It was a quiet evening and Child was tinkering with the beginnings of a Training Beast in his room. This was when Nine entered and approached.

He was smiling, but it looked a little uncomfortable, especially as he stood beside Child. "Still working on that? You need to rest your eyes a little. That can't be good for them," Nine playfully remarked. He rested his hands on Child's shoulders and lightly massaged over them, triggering the pale male's grasp on his machine to go limp. One touch and he was at his every whim. Child partially looked back at Nine, murmuring his own, playful comment, "It's a good thing you came in when you did. Now I have something worth resting my optics on."

It was mostly a joke, but Nine's reaction was bizarre. He gave an overly awkward laugh, one that was clearly forced to some degree, and moved back. Slowly he moved over to sit on the bed while Child raised a brow and turned more to face him. "Thanks for sparing my feelings," he sarcastically remarked to the younger. Though he immediately wished he hadn't as he noticed how uncomfortable Nine truly looked. The younger male sat on the edge of the bed, slouched over, staring at the floor, and with his hands clutching the blankets.

Yet before Child could stand and approach him, as he intended to do, Nine continued. "Child… I've been thinking and, umm, I… This is a lot harder to say than I thought it was going to be." He rubbed his neck tiredly and Child's brows raised. "Are you… Going to say that you want to end this?" he genuinely wondered this as he asked, but the bitter horror of the thought hadn't sunk in yet. Thankfully, Nine straightened immediately and looked to Child in alarm, "What?! No! It's not that- Why would you think that?!"

"I just assumed with you saying…" Child cut off with a sigh and stood, wandering over to the bed and sitting down beside him. "Nine, I'm not oblivious. You've been pulling away for a few days now. If there's something wrong, then you can tell me." He laid his hand on Nine's back, caressing over his number. There was nothing but sincerity in his voice and he watched as Nine mentally battled himself. His optics flickered around the room, he hummed, he sighed, he wrung his hands, and he finally spoke.

"Child… I've been thinking about something… I've been thinking about it a lot," Nine admitted. His voice grew even meeker and quieter, "And it's something terribly wrong. Something that I shouldn't even think about, so I don't understand it." Child furrowed his brow and traced Nine's number, trying to coax out more information. Finally, the zippered male looked to him, nearly stuttering in nervousness, "I… I think I want to try something new, but I don't think you're going to like it, and I'm really embarrassed talking about it."

"If you're this embarrassed talking about it, then how are we supposed to do it?" Child quipped back. Nine responded with a bright blush and covered his face meekly. "We're not going to be able to do it anyway! It's wrong! Just… I'm having a hard time getting it out of my head. That's the problem I'm having, not that I plan to do it." As uneasy as he was, Child continued to comfort and coax him. "I wouldn't judge you, Nine. Especially not with this. Not with my record of embarrassing quirks that I've had the joy of learning to live with."

"Okay… Well, see, it involves string," Nine meekly admitted. His hand raised to his shoulder where he traced over the red stitches from his first injury. "And, uh, stitches…" Already Child was starting to get the idea of what Nine was going to propose, but he stayed silent and listened. 'String' and 'stitches' didn't leave too much to the imagination as far as he was concerned. "I don't know how to say this… But with the Seamstress- Not the Seamstress doing it, but the way she stitched and bound, and something about that loss of control…"

Nine's breathing was growing a little heavy, but Child couldn't tell if it was from nervousness or something else. "I like… The idea of being stitched and being fully at mercy. I don't know why, because I don't want a beast to stitch me or anything, and I don't really want to hurt or anything, but it… It's been hanging over me. I don't even know why I like it; the Seamstress never stitched me. I wasn't even awake when Five stitched me!" He was growing more distraught. "This is insanity! What's wrong with me, why would I feel like this?!"

"Nine, it's not that unreasonable. You're a Stitchpunk who wants to be stitched. Technically, something about this should make sense," Child defended, rubbing Nine's back when he covered his face again. "And if you would like to try it… Then I wouldn't be against it." Nine looked to him in surprise, "What? Really?!" Child nodded in insistence, "I don't see any reason why we can't. If it makes you happy-." The albino male suddenly got a mental image of Nine completely at his mercy, wanting nothing but his touch. "…Then it makes me happy."

"That's… That's great!" Nine didn't even notice that Child's voice grew slightly more husky. He instead hugged his mate tightly. "I thought you were going to think it was weird or be offended, or something like that," Nine blurted out before abruptly pressing their lips together. He didn't even allow for an answer and Child didn't care. This kiss was only a brief one as Nine yanked back and further inquired, "So can we- I mean- Maybe tonight?" Before Child could even think about it, out came a quick, "Alright." Nine's softer lips were back again.

He was so eager, so willing, and Child suddenly had an epiphany as he placed his hands on Nine's shoulders, waiting for a good moment and then gently nudging them back apart. "But not yet," he announced and Nine looked confused. "I don't follow," Nine pointed out. Child couldn't help but feel a spike of adoration at how lovable Nine looked at this moment. Here he was, asking for something so mature and knowing exactly what it entailed, yet he still looked so bright eyed and curious at the small pause.

"Here's what we'll do…" Child began, thinking it through while he spoke. "We'll find a quieter area so that nobody comes in on us. I'll get the needle and thread; red, of course, to match the others," at this comment Child affectionately traced over the red stitches on Nine's shoulder. The younger male breathed a little heavier, nodding in agreement. "Right. We should really get all this in order before we start," Nine admitted. "I think I got a little carried away. Sorry." Child smiled reassuringly, "That would make two of us, Poppet. I just don't want you to rush in and have doubts."

Nine agreed with this thought. As much as he wanted it, as soon as possible no less, he didn't want to rush this. Not because he was afraid of doubts, but because he was instead afraid of ruining the execution. In his mind this was still more of his want than Child's, so the last thing he wanted to do was risk a bad experience. "You get the needle and thread. I'll find a comfortable place where nobody will walk in on us," Nine offered with a lopsided smile. He gave Child's hand an affectionate squeeze before they stood and got to work.

Child's task was easy. He was able to borrow the red thread from Two, along with his smallest and thinnest needle. Two didn't ask, but Child still excused the need by saying he wanted to make a second cape. The Inventor bought it without even the slightest bit of suspicion. Nine's task was a little more difficult as, while the Library was big, the twins were bound to appear anywhere. He started to realize exactly how paranoid he felt doing it in the open like this, but he couldn't trust the bedroom as a safe haven.

By time Child arrived, Nine made up his mind. "I think we should go out to do this. There's a couple of houses with beds and furniture that we can use, and we'll be at no risk of being caught." Child agreed and the two slipped out of the Library before anyone noticed. The entire walk to the house was silent, but Nine spent the entire time lost in thoughts. Every time he glanced over, seeing the needle and thread, he felt a burst of eagerness spread through his middle and tightened his grip on his Lightstaff.

However, there was the part of him that remembered this was wrong. The part that reminded him about how much terror the others went through being bound in string. That alone was enough to make him feel guilty, but at this point he didn't think he could live with ignoring it, especially without trying it even once. It wasn't long before they arrived at the house they had chosen. While the upstairs was missing much of the roof and was sustaining heavy water damage, there was a small bedroom downstairs with a comfortable, though dusty bed.

It wasn't until they were on the bed that Nine started to get nervous. He didn't back down, but he felt a little bit of anxiety tugging at his soul. Child started to string the needle, "I think this will be more comfortable if you lay down." He noticed that Nine didn't respond and looked back to him. "…Poppet, if you're having second thoughts then I'm not going to force you. We can always stop and try at a different time." Nine shook his head in determination. "No, I'm okay," he spoke as he set his staff to the side and sat down beside Child.

"You… You know how a Seamstress stitches, right?" Nine meekly asked. Of course Child would know, he assumed, but he wanted to make sure. "Of course I know," Child responded, securing the thread. "But I don't think it will work. A Seamstress usually sews down the front and then secures everything to that. This won't work with you," to clarify, he gestured to Nine's zipper. Reflexively, Nine rested his hand on his zipper pull. "But I think we can manage. I'm going to try to angle this through your burlap as to not leave holes."

The last thing he wanted was to scar Nine, physically or mentally. As Nine laid down, presented before him, Child took his arm. "I'm going to start with a few practice stitches, but as long as I don't break the fabric you shouldn't have pain. It will feel a little strange, maybe, but it shouldn't hurt," he clarified. What he wasn't saying, but was clearly implying, was that Nine was supposed to tell him if it hurt. Never had the Savior mentioned he wanted to hurt, so Child was going to make sure to not cause any discomfort.

Child spread the fibers on Nine's arm fabric and pressed the needle in between. It made a hole in the fabric that would disappear when the needle was removed. He made a simple stitch, Nine didn't complain, and made a second. "How does it feel?" Child inquired. Nine trembled a little, "I-It's strange… It feels good, I like it, but… Just take them out. I think we should stop." Doubt overtook the delight once more. Nine sighed and averted his optics, a green blush settling on his face. "This is really wrong. I just- We can try something else."

"You want _this_ ," Child pointed out to Nine. "Stop trying to work yourself into a frenzy. Right, wrong; that doesn't apply in something like this. Nothing is technically wrong as long as you and I enjoy it, and nobody else gets hurt, right?" Nine didn't seem certain and Child exhaled, leaning back. "You are always taking care of the others, always working to prove yourself, are always the 'get-up-and-go' of everyone. You always try to take care of others…" He reaches out and rests a hand on Nine's cheek, "Let me do this for you. Let me take care of you."

For a second Nine couldn't speak, just staring with his mouth agape, but he then got the quiet words out. "Okay… I trust you…" Child gave him an affectionate smile and leaned in, pressing his lips to Nine's as he undid the stitches. The zippered male shivered as the thread was removed, but clearly not in distress. The kiss deepened a little more and Nine now wrapped his arms around Child's shoulders. He traced his fingers over Child's red cape, pushing the hood back out of the way, while Child coaxed Nine to lay down comfortably.

Then he moved back and sent an affectionate smile, raising the needle as he did. Then he made the first actual stitch. It was below his red stitched shoulder, stitching his arm against his side. He stitched the arm against his chest to about his elbow, making sure that the arm wasn't moving above that. Nine groaned and tightened his fingers on the bedding beneath him. Though at this moment Child pressed his other arm into place, stitching it securely as well. "Clasp your hands in front of you," Child instructed. Nine gave a cheeky smile, "And if I don't?"

Child 'tsked' in response, "Now, Poppet, you really shouldn't challenge someone whose about to have you at their mercy." Nine still looked playful as he clasped his hands together. He expected that the albino would stitch his arms together, but instead he wrapped the red thread around them and bound them with that alone, tying it off with a bow at the end. He then shifted back to look down at his work. "A good start…" Child murmured, scanning over the zippered male's body, his optics eagerly stopping at his hips.

Child's fondness for Nine's hips had always been obvious. Before they were a couple, his references and teasing of them already revealed a suppressed interest, and once they were together he had all the access he wanted. He loved their shape, the feeling of gripping them, how Nine squeaked when they were grasped suddenly; he had to do something. "What do you think, Pet, about a line of stitches running down both hips and then across the thigh?" He brushed his hand along said thigh, "I'm sure it will be rather… Sensitive."

"Yes," Nine nearly choked out in delight. "Yes, all over, put them everywhere. I don't want to move. I don't even want to think." Over eagerness was bubbling over and clearly audible in his voice module. This was all that Child needed as he chuckled in response. "I think we can arrange that." He lightly caressed Nine's hip, tracing over the burlap pattern lovingly. Then he began to apply a curved line of red stitches along his hip and across his thigh. He followed suit on the opposite leg, then stitched through the stitches, securing them together.

Child finished by wrapping Nine's legs tight, leaving Nine fully bound on the bed. Only once he moved back to look over his work, Nine gave another, snarky comment. "I think you forgot something very important." He fidgeted his legs knowingly and Child caught on, but smirked in response. "I'll get to that eventually. For now, I want you completely and entirely bound to my will." He stroked over Nine's lower leg. "How does it feel? Everything you expected it to be?" Nine shook his head, "Not really. It's too real. It feels too real to expect."

Nine was smiling still; it was clear that he was enjoying himself. Child almost regretted the fact that he would have to untie him partially for the main event. For now, he decided to explore Nine's body with his lips. He followed the stitches on his right hip with gentle kisses. Occasionally he would stop and tug at the thread with his lips, which would bring out sighs and moans from Nine above him. He slowly moved along the thighs, caressing them as he tugged at the stitches binding them together, then slipped upwards.

Naturally, Child could not reach the one place where Nine clearly wanted him to. Or he assumed he wanted him to from the way his hips fidgeted and legs strained against his bonding. Child's hands reflexively returned to his hips to knead and caress as he trailed upwards along his zipper. Once at his zipper pull he changed tactics. He tilted back a bit and reached a hand to his back; if he was going to unstitch some of this, he would need something to replace it. His other hand worked Nine's zipper down underneath his still bound arms.

He unhooked one of the four openings on his back and one of Child's extra 'arms' slid out. He didn't need all four of them to secure Nine, not when Nine was already stitched so securely. As he continued to get prepared, he slid a hand into Nine's opened front, affectionately petting his inner metal. Nine tried to keep a clear head as he received all the attention, but it was getting harder not to lose himself to it. Even the subtle touches seemed to be so much better, so much more intense, and as much as he tried to move he couldn't even budge an inch.

There was a growing need between his bound legs. It left him a bit shakier, trembling to substitute attention, and he continued to fidget his legs as he waited for Child to stop stalling and continue. The albino slid down once more. "Now then, I'm going to just undo the stitches on your legs," he smirked playfully. "But just to make sure you don't move too much; I'm going to keep ahold of you." His machine arm pressed onto Nine's lower abdomen to hold him down, one of the claws barely slipping into his opened front.

Child left his stitches loose and had intentionally not properly tied them off, so he was quickly unable to unravel the bond between the leg stitches. He then unwrapped Nine's legs, leaving them free to move but still with the stitches in along the thighs and hips. He traced them with his fingers and watched as Nine tensed at the motion. The Savior gave an eager sigh, "Are you going to take the rest out?" Child pondered this, humming to himself. "…It might be safest if I do." He took ahold of the red thread and gave a gentle tug, slowly tugging the thread out.

Nine gave a choke as the thread dragged to his fabric. It was the oddest feeling, a mixture of tingling and tightening along his thigh, but it was amazing. He couldn't help but shift his leg towards the motion and ride the bizarre soft of pleasure. Child dragged the thread out slowly, watching the delight on Nine's face as he did so. It was over too quickly as the string was removed and dropped out of the way. Nine responded by lifting the opposite leg and nudging Child's side, "Now this one. Come on."

"Don't be so impatient," Child corrected with slight smugness. "Remember, I'm the one in control, so I get to give the call. That's what you wanted." For a split second Nine got something skin to a pout, but it was then dropped when Child slid his legs apart and moved between them. He knew what was coming the second that the albino Stitchpunk stared to again massage his hips. Nine wasn't exactly as a male should have been, which allowed them to mate so freely. To be blunt, he had parts that were more acceptable to a female than a male.

Nine learned this quite some time ago and it had been Two who explained that the way he was created, with a cylinder, was actually not unheard of. A few others, though Two didn't specify who, were also created with cylinders as a way to perhaps balance out the aspect of mating. With so many more males than females, it would've been impossible to create enough young to make a community. So though it later became apparent that Stitchpunk young was created through soul bonding, not physical mating, it was a balancing issue.

At first it embarrassed Nine to no end, especially when he was attracted to Seven. It wasn't until after Child and Nine became a couple that he realized how much they could do with the parts. For example, Child pressing his lips to Nine's cylinder entrance, causing the zippered male to gasp in pleasure. He tilted his head back against the bed as his hips bounced upwards. Child rested his hands firmly onto Nine's thighs and again held them down, almost in a teasing fashion.

Nine groaned in distress and tried to reach down, but his arms weren't able to. "Ugh! Just- Please!" he nearly begged. "You're just- You're doing this on purpose!" Indeed, it wasn't that Child was holding him down, but that he was touching his cylinder so lightly. His lips only barely gazed over the metal opening, his warm breath sending just as much pleasure and temptation as his lips were. Child gave him an amused smile, "I'm just playing with you, Poppet. Isn't that the point?" Nine didn't even know anymore.

"Well, uh… I guess, but- But the point was for the thread and for me to be bound, not for you to- _Gah_!" Nine gave a sudden gasp of pleasure as Child leaned back down. The ministrations alone weren't what set him off. It was the fact that right as he moved to pleasure him, Child started to tug out the thread on the other leg. The mix of pleasure had created a bigger reaction; one that Nine wasn't expecting. He was the loudest he had been the entire time, crying out in delight before breaking in a string of choking sobs.

"Yes, like that, yes- just- keep that- Keep that there!" Child wasn't even exactly sure what Nine meant. Nine wasn't either, but he continued to babble. Child stopped playing coy with his mouth ministrations either, and Nine sort of knew why. He could tell that the albino was becoming more erratic; his breathing was heavy, his voice was coated in static, and before he was done his optics has reverted to a glowing red. Though they delighted Nine because he knew this meant that Child couldn't possibly stall much longer.

As much as Nine enjoyed everything, he was nearing hit wit's end, so he both lamented and celebrated when Child moved back and dropped the thread to the side. He clawed at the hook and eye closures on his front and scrambled to get them open. Soon his own inner metals and his rod, the male mating part, were revealed to the zippered male. Instead of taking him right then, with Nine desperately struggling against the binds, Child grabbed ahold of Nine's bound arms and yanked him upwards. He himself then laid down onto the bed behind him.

"What?" Nine asked in confusion, now awkwardly balanced above Child. With his arms how they were, he feared falling forwards or backwards, so he relied mostly on his legs to keep him positioned correctly. "You wanted control so much," Child pointed out in a now low and crackling voice. "Let's see how well you do with it." Nine caught on even before Child grasped his hips, sliding his own upwards just enough to press his rod against the younger male's cylinder. "You're- You're always such a good leader," Child panted in his own haze of arousal.

The point had to been restrained, but this new suggestion only encouraged more arousal from Nine. The thread in his arm still was comfortably constraining anyway, so he wasn't afraid to try something else new. The only concern was that he would have a bit of struggle while trying to move himself with only his legs. Without a word, Nine lined his cylinder with Child's rod, lightly rubbing himself against it. He had been waiting for this moment and was only holding back out of a desire to reward the other male with the same teasing that he had bestowed on him.

Child tightened his hands, and claw, on the thick bedding beneath him, but kept his hips still. He clearly wanted to leave it to the younger male. As such, Nine lowered himself down and easily slid onto the object. It was so easy to slid onto it and the pressure was unbelievably nice. He attempted to start the movement, raising his body upwards about in inch and then sliding back down. Child tried to suppress the noises that were clearly wanted out. Nine was less restrained, breathing heavily as he started to slowly raise and lower himself.

"I-I think you like this more than you're letting on," Nine accused with a coy smile. Child was in no state to deny this; he simply gave into the same temptation to submit as Nine did. Reaching upwards with one hand, the albino tangled his fingers into the web of thread that held his mate's arms together. It was almost as though he was trying to coax Nine, but it was obvious the younger knew what he needed to do on his own already. He lifted himself further and lowered himself fully in a single smooth motion. Then a second, then a third, another, and another.

Eventually Nine figured out how to get a proper rhythm. He used Child's hold on him to keep balance and used his leg strength to lift and drop him. It was so hot, such a secure fit, such a burning warmth spreading through his lower belly, and he was so happy to feel it. He took full advantage of them being alone in the house and didn't suppress his moans and gasps. At some point Child just gave in and grabbed at Nine's hips; moving them in sync with his own as he now eagerly thrusted into the tight warmth presented to him.

It was so much deeper in this position, and the rubbing of the thread drove him mad with ecstasy. It wasn't long until Nine realized that he was about to lose himself. He continued desperately to try and match the pace, dropping himself down and again fighting with his binding. It was all so good and it could only help that Child had been so willing to try it. He wasn't looking disappointed either. For a split second, Nine's mind suddenly flickered through all the possible things they could try after this, but the Nine was lost to the building gratification through his body.

Then suddenly Nine's resolve snapped and his body gave in fully. An explosion of pleasure wracked his body and he struggled to not collapse as his vision went out of focus. Child managed to catch him and continued the desperate fury of thrusts as Nine tightened around him. He wasn't able to hold out long either. With a short, metallic cry, Child suddenly hit his climax and filled Nine with his release. For a few minutes they just sat there, holding each other, shivering and trembling, and eventually Nine started to kiss over Child's face.

They were thankful gestures, full of love and delight. "That was- That was perfect!" the zippered male gushed, moving to nuzzle into Child's neck. He couldn't actually hug or grab him, but was doing a good job regardless in showing how happy he was. Child hugged him close, holding him for a few seconds before pulling back. "Let me get you untied," he affectionately doted, unstitching the red thread from his arms. He then set it aside before bringing Nine into his arms again, cuddling him close and petting over his back.

Nine stretched his arms, "Feels good to move again… But it felt pretty good not to move either." Child gave a soft chuckle, "I'm glad to hear you enjoying yourself so much." Nine continued, even though tired he was rather bubbly with excitement, and moved down into Child's arms and against his chest. "I did. You know… Maybe sometime, if you want to, we could try this again. We could even try more things, if you've got any ideas." Child's voice grew a little lower and he responded, "Oh, I think I could come up with one or two…"

"But I'm a little stiff, so maybe some other time. We have to get home," Nine murmured with a soft yawn. He had to relax a little, he knew this, and stretched out his legs wearily. Soreness was already setting in around his hips and thighs from the excess movement. Child traced his hand over his left hip, affectionately circling it before moving to Nine's front and zipping him again. "One's going to figure out we're gone no matter what. Even now he's probably pacing in front of the door, waiting for us to step inside so that he can chew our heads off."

"And if we lose our heads, how can we figure out more things to do with ourselves?" Nine playfully asked back. Child reclined back on the bed and began to relax as the younger male had, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Let's get some rest, Poppet. We have all the time in the world." Nine agreed with this quietly. He needed the rest, he needed the recovery, and he needed this time. "Thank you," he murmured as he started to tail off. "Thank you so much. I love you." Before he was fully asleep, he could hear Child quietly respond with, "I love you too, Nine."

Nine didn't have any doubt. He fell asleep feeling fully content and fully loved, without any doubt in either of them or himself.

_**FIN** _


	5. 1x2: Maelstrom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a storm upon them, 1 and 2 take shelter in an old shop where 2's reminded of his love for the sea. 1, meanwhile, is reminded of another sort of affection that is slowly starting to drag him in. If he's not careful it will drag him under, but perhaps that is really what he wants.

_**Maelstrom** _

_For Unavoidablekioshi_

The sky was heavily clouded with thick, dark clouds and the air contained an almost impending static on it. The coming rain could literally be smelled and the two Stitchpunks stuck sitting out on a street knew it. Here they waited for the others who had separated to lead away a stray Beast, one that didn't seem threatening enough to fight. It had been simple; the oldest two would wait here, the ones who couldn't fight would move somewhere else, and the ones who could fight would lead the Beast off. Unfortunately none of them returned.

"What on Earth could be taking them so long?!" The Stitchpunk's narrowed optics scanned the street in frustration. Two suspected that this frustration was covering worry. Unlike the leader who continued to stand and wander around the sidewalk, Two sat on the curb, head resting in hands while his arms rested on his knees. It had to be going on an hour by now and he was growing concerned as well. Regardless he spoke with, "They'll be back. We would've heard something if anyone was injured. Maybe you should sit down."

One promptly reacted with a frown in Two's direct. "Don't concern yourself too much, Two," he remarked sarcastically and followed with a small huff. He then turned away to scan the street once more until a low rumble came from the sky. Two shivered a bit at the sound, "The storm is rolling in faster than I expected… We may have to find shelter." Though One immediately put his foot, and staff, down firmly. "We can't leave the street. If we leave the street and hide somewhere else they won't find us when they do return." He was firm so Two didn't argue.

Things had been tense between them after the Machine War. There were a few reasons why, but Two believed it was mostly their lack of personal time together. They used to play chess, to talk, to do anything together and now with all the work needing done on the Library eating their time this was practically impossible. In fact, this was the longest that One and Two had been alone together. One paced behind Two a bit longer before suddenly coming to an abrupt stop behind Two. The Inventor assumed he was staring him down and looked back.

Instead, One was staring down the road at the thick storm clouds further down. "Hmm?" Two hummed with inquiry and One inhaled as he spoke, "Lightning." The shorter male's reaction was immediate. His optics widened and he quickly stood to his feet, "We need to get inside." He wasn't fond of storms. He was very familiar with the weather and knew a good deal about the signs and types, but in his case education didn't suppress his instinct to become worried. One pursed his lips and didn't make any attempt to move, still staring down the way.

"They will have to return eventually. Eight wouldn't leave me here," he added in. At this exact moment a soft tapping crossed the cement sidewalk. Two looked upwards and caught a raindrop on his optic lens, One stared down and scowled as he saw the wet spots on the concrete. "Of course. It couldn't wait even a moment longer to start to downpour, could it?" He was cut off by Two's hand on his arm. It was gently and reassuring grasp, one that caused One to just stare at it instead of pulling back. He then looked to Two who spoke.

"Let's find shelter. It's safer than standing in the rain," Two softly insisted as to not have One again resist. Instead One found himself staring at the shorter male, at his wide and pleading optics, and settled with a nod. "Very well… But one of these buildings. We can't go too far." Soon they were hurrying to check which of the shops were open enough to slip in. It was the nicer side of the city that had been mostly evacuated during the war, which unfortunately and fortunately meant the buildings, and doors, were still quite intact.

Two made a beeline for one shop in particular, though not because of the broken glass in the lower panel of the door. He stepped in eagerly while One paused to look around the street one last time. It was raining harder and the others were still clearly missing. With a sigh he followed the shorter in and allowed his narrowed optics to scan the shop. It was some sort of knick-knackery shop from the numerous assorted items along the walls and in displays. "Look at all of this!" Two spoke excitedly as he hurried over to a glass case.

"I didn't think we would find any of these left in the world. Look at how lovely!" Two pointed out the items in the case, looking like some sort of porcelain or glass discs. One grew somewhat curious as he approached and stared at them, "What exactly are they? Porcelain?" The Inventor looked a little surprised, "They're seashells, One. Have you never seen them before?" Naturally One hadn't and was about to scoff and remark on it, but instead fell silent as he saw the look on Two's face. He looked so interested with wide eyes and a small smile.

He was so delighted about a simple item that they were able to find here. Instead One replied much quieter, "No, I haven't, but you seem to have." Two chuckled and gave a nod, "Somewhat. Oh, One, you wouldn't believe the wonders of the ocean. It's a shame I was only born with the memories and not with an actual ship." His optics scanned the walls and started into the center of the room, staring at the shelves high above. Glass bottles with miniature ships in them lined the shelves, along with the occasional framed photo.

"It's almost like the storm, the ocean is," Two explained as he wandered across the room with his hands folded behind his back. Indeed, the storm began to pick up as well, with growing thunder as the rain came down harder. One almost felt like the entire world was setting the mood for Two, as though to stage a performance he was witnessing. Indeed, somehow watching Two wander about with inspiration in his optics captivated One more than he knew it should've. He found himself following the Inventor without a word.

"One moment it is a peaceful beauty. Cool waves, deep blue and stretching on for miles, kissed by the sun. Then it becomes tumulus and rough. The sky fills with clouds as the sea becomes angry beneath, fighting against ships and the like. Sometimes it can tip a ship. Sometimes it completely takes them under…" Two looked back at One with that small smile. "That would be a maelstrom. A sudden, violent tug of currents fighting against one another, sucking them down into unfathomable depths. I'd assume any ship would cave."

One tightened his grip on his staff as he stared at Two in the darkness. There was another reason he had pointedly tried to distance himself from Two and now it was coming back with a vengeance. Then, suddenly, Two asked as innocently as could be, "One, is something the matter?" The smile didn't change and One stared back as he replied. "…No. I was just considering that- What you were saying. I haven't ever heard you mention the ocean before now." There was actual curiosity as well and Two got a slightly sad look.

"Well… No, I don't bring it up. As much as I love the ocean, as much as one can love something else, there is a separation. I don't have a ship, I don't have the means, I am not equipped to go sailing the seven seas… If I did I would lose what I have now, and I am content." His optics dropped towards the floor, "But it is difficult to pine over something that you want so badly but cannot have. Every part of my body tells me I was made for it, but better judgement always takes over in the end… Then I try to push it out of my mind." One knew it too well.

An extremely loud boom of thunder nearly rattled the windows. Two closed his optics and shivered in response. "Dear me, that storm is getting worse. Speaking of maelstroms, you may get to see one if the street starts to flood!" He playfully joked and headed towards the back of the store. "We should keep away from the windows and, perhaps, find a bed. Are you coming?" One finally looked away, "Yes, I just… Need to check outside one last time see what you can find." The shorter nodded and headed off, leaving the leader alone.

One knew what was happening much too well. It had happened before, but never this intently. Then again, he had never heard Two go on such a passionate speech about oceans before. One had a feeling he would never be able to hear so much as a word about the seven seas without envisioning Two. Only for a moment did he stare out at the growing storm to make sure the others weren't coming. If they were it would save him from the trapped feeling beginning to suck him downwards into his own fabric. He then headed after Two.

The storm seemed to drain any noise out of the room that it didn't create itself. All One heard as he approached the back was hundreds of raindrops pouring down on the roof. Then he turned the corner by the edge of what looked like a desk and found Two behind it. The younger Stitchpunk seemed to have pulled a pillow out of a display case, leaving the jewelry upon it to rest on the wood unprotected. Currently he was patting down the pillow, staring over the silky, baby blue color of it, still smiling as he had been before.

One didn't recognize when the staff left his hand. There must have been noise as Two looked upwards. His optics, wide and full of life, almost immediately dragged One over. Two didn't say a word and simply stared back curiously. The Leader' pulse pounded as he approached and stood before the Inventor. One looked into his optics with his own widening in alarm. He knew what those men had felt when staring into the maelstrom. Then he leaned down and his lips were suddenly onto Two's. He had been dragged under the waves.

All of the passion, the need, the fear of rejection, of judgement, it all suddenly released once the action was done. One had claimed Two, Two clearly knew everything now, and yet he didn't move. One rested his hands on Two's shoulders as to keep him a close as he could. After a moment he realized that Two wasn't making an effort to push him away, and then felt Two's hand touch his neck. It slowly slid around, softly caressing the fabric and metal, and then gripped at the back of his neck to hold him securely. He felt something as well.

Their lips continued to ravish each other as One led Two back towards the pillow. The shorter followed suit until he was stopped by the edge of the pillow. It took a few second before One decided to lean over holding Two securely as to lead him onto the pillow. Eventually he was bent back enough that One was fully holding his weight and lowered him onto the softness of pillow. One now took a moment to pull back and stare down at the smaller male laying before him. As expected, he looked beautiful; lightly panting with a ghost of a green glow on his cheeks.

"One…" Two spoke in between gasps. There was a questioning in his optics and One knew he had to explain. "I've had that same feeling. The need, the want to have something but knowing I cannot…" Two optics slightly widened and he went to speak, but One cut him off. "And I know what you're going to say already. We're too old, we share a Creator, we're both male, and I have thought over these things many times as well. I just… I have spent so many years being quiet and, Creator Two, you had to wait until now to go off on a tangent about the ocean!"

Two chuckled pleasantly and reached upwards for him. His hands cupped One's gaunt face. "Oh One, oh no. I wasn't going to say that at all. I don't… I don't worry about those sorts of things. I am comfortable who I am, who you are, and I don't worry what the others will think…" He hesitated a moment, looked away, and then looked back, "One, I consider you very much like the sea." One furrowed his brows, "Two, you do remember how you described the sea, do you not?" He wondered if this was some sort of joke, but the other nodded.

"Yes, but still… I find myself swept away by thoughts of the sea… I find myself swept away by thoughts of you." Then his face marred in confusion, "But One, for years I've been trying to make it clear that I was interested, so I just assumed that you weren't!" One looked away, Two sighed in response. "But you just explained why that was… So I'm happy." The smile returned once more, livelier than ever. One felt a strike of guilt and slowly exhaled, "Oh Two, what are we doing to each other?" Two shrugged, "I assume the same thing that we've been doing since birth."

"I won't pretend that I wasn't interested in you when we were younger. You were such an adorable newborn." His affectionately stroked over his side and he pressed their foreheads together. "But you used to drive me completely insane. You still do. Somehow I'm staying afloat." Two released a noise like a purr, a warm sigh filled with delight, and One could no longer hold back. He pressed their lips together again and fully embraced the smaller male against his buckles. The warmth was amazing and he couldn't imagine pulling away again.

His hands moved down to trace over Two's hips, gently coaxing his legs apart so that he could be given full access to everything he wanted so desperately to have. He could already feel the growing heat in his core, spreading downwards and pulsing through his body. It was a part of him that had never been engaged in such a way. Never had he even considered mating and even now he wasn't fully certain what everything entailed. Mostly instincts nudged him forward and guided him on what he was supposed to do.

Two reached forward to undo One's buckles in an affectionate manner. There was a growing straining lower in his fabric and the Inventor was set to free it; though One was a bit confused to note that Two did not have the same issue. There was a brief self-consciousness that passed when his rod came free and was clearly visible. Two looked over with a curiousness in his optics and One clenched his lips closed and bared through it. For a moment there was the overwhelming urge for Two to touch him, but the smaller male didn't even dare to.

Instead, he slid back a little bit, trying to get more comfortable as he looked to the Leader. He was starting to look a bit shyer, something that was very unlike him, but at the same time he seemed to be giving One access. So One took the opportunity to caress his legs, smiling in contentment as Two's breathing became heavier and fulfilled. That was, until One noticed something had changed between his legs. Instead of smooth fabric there was what looked like a metal opening; a cylinder.

This took One off guard. Usually females were supposed to have these and males would have rods. There was no questioning of Two's gender either. It was a choice that the Scientist had made, to make Two with a female part. As though he naturally imagined he was to be with a male. Slowly One's narrowed optics widened and Two chuckled nervously, "I don't suppose this is a problem?" Instead he answered with a sputtering, "Father knew." Two blinked in confusion, "What do you mean?" The Leader insisted, "He made you with- With this. He knew that we were…"

"Oh… Oh!" It suddenly kicked in and Two flinched. Something about their Creator knowing was both endearing and a bit unsettling. "Well… I feel unclean, but not enough to stop," he teased with a tiny smile. One scoffed a bit in response, "You certainly know how to kill the mood." It was a playful comment though and he slid forward to bring them together. His open front pressed to the other's closed one, he briefly played with the ties. Their breathing mingled into one as their pulses raced together.

Slowly One moved his hips forwards and pressed his erection against the opening to the cylinder. He took Two's lips with his own before actually starting to push inside. Two gripped him tighter and arched against the pillow; One couldn't tell if from pain or pleasure. Regardless, he moved gently in his efforts, slowly pushing deeper into the other's body. His own pleasure was intense with the tightness that had literally wrapped itself around his rod. Such a perfect fit, so firm, and he was practically trembling by time he was fully in.

There was a flash of light that filled the room. At first One thought it was from his own pleasure, but when the thunder suddenly followed he realized it was the storm. Two clenched around him with a soft gasp, surprised by the sudden boom even though the light had been there to foreshadow it. One knew that he needed to stop and comfort him. He hesitated for a brief moment and used this time to kiss over the shorter male's cheek. He didn't say a word because he truly didn't think he could speak.

"I-I'm okay," Two squeaked out. "Please, don't stop now." One complied eagerly as he started to slowly move back out, then press back inside once more. He found an easy pattern and continued it eagerly, feeling as Two reacted with shivers and groans. Once the smaller started to thrust his hips forward, One began to try and gain speed. He lifted Two's hips and continued to thrust inside, pressing him further into the soft pillow beneath. It didn't give the best leverage, but it was much more comfortable than the floor would've been.

Two's hands moved to clutch the pillow as though to keep himself righted enough to push back. He attempted to thrust back again his mate, but it was awkward to do, and it seemed that One was doing well enough on his own. His rod was large and firm, swiftly and eagerly massaging against his interior. The heat was growing with a rushing pleasure through his body; Two wondered if this was what it felt like to have blood. He felt lightheaded from the pleasure, but in a pleasant way as though he was as light as a feather.

One clutched him a bit tighter and buried into his neck so that he could inhale his scent. Everything was so fulfilling, everything was so wonderfully Two-like. He could only smell his scent, could only hear his gasping and begging along with a light bit of rain, and could only feel the tightness of his inner metals. It was as though he lost the feeling in everything other than what was directly touching, or inside of, Two. Two was starting to look more and more dazed. He thrashed his head around and began to grow louder and louder.

Just seeing him was driving One to a point he had never expected. He felt like he was going insane, losing himself again as he stared at the beautiful sight before him. Two glanced back to him, getting a slight smile for a moment. Then something suddenly hit him. His optics widened before abruptly closing tightly. His body trembled as though it was being wracked with waves. As though the storm had somehow gotten inside and was only affecting him alone. "One!" It was the only actual word that he managed to get out through everything.

His cylinder grew tighter, hotter, and suddenly the pleasure increased dramatically. It dragged One in further and smothered him in whatever was overcoming Two. He couldn't breathe as he attempted to continue thrusting and simply failed at it. Two was too tight around him and he was too trapped to move. The blinding shock of pleasure hit him as whatever pent energy burst inside of him. It took him a few moments to ride it out, even if it felt like an eternity until he was collapsed atop of Two.

Two managed to sober and cuddled One to him. He kissed along his lips and stroked over his back and shoulders with adoration. One held him a bit tighter around the middle as he slid out of him and laid down beside him on the pillow. He coaxed Two to rest his head on his chest, so that he could have him as close as possible. "That… That was amazing!" Two gasped out. "Thank goodness the others weren't nearby or they would've surely heard us… Or, well, me." The Leader lightly chuckled in full contentment, fully relaxed and unconcerned.

"They will be fine, wherever they are. They can handle themselves." Two retorted with his own playfulness, "You won't be saying that an hour from now when the euphoria wears off and they're still gone." One pursed his lips in disagreement, which only amused Two further. He leaned upwards to kiss him once more. When he started to move back, One suddenly announced something more. "Two, I promise on my life and soul, I will get you to the ocean. I cannot promise a ship, I don't even know how we could make a functioning one at our size, but I will take you to the shore."

He caressed Two's cheeks with his hands, watching as a soft amount of color began to appear underneath them. "Oh, One, you don't have to do that. I'm not that dedicated to seeing the sea. It would be nice, but with time and everything…"He briefly trailed off before smiling more confidently. "One, you and the sea do differ a bit. I don't need the sea to be happy." He could hear the older male's delighted purr in response and relaxed once more against him. One held him close and listened to the storm rage on outside of the building.

For the moment they were safe and together, and One would make sure it stayed like that. If he was like Two's ocean and Two was his own maelstrom then they were created for each other. Born to stay like this.

_**FIN** _


	6. 9x7: The Fight is Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 9 unusually cold behavior towards 7 raises enough red flags that she confronts him about it. Some revelations come out and some hidden feelings are finally expressed. Will 9 and 7 recover from this and mend their relationship?

_**The Fight Is Over** _

_For Bettagirl_

"Nine, maybe you should take a break," Seven encouraged and the male immediately answered, not even looking at her, "I'm fine. Hey, Five, why don't we work on Six's bed? He'll probably want to rest his ankle." The Healer blinked and agreed to the idea before following his friend to the other side of the Library. Five looked back towards Seven for a moment and gave her a shrug with an apologetic smile.

Of course he was apologetic; after all Nine had been acting like this for the past few days and everyone was noticing it.

Ever since the Stitchpunks had returned with the Life Giving Rain, as they called it, Nine had suddenly started acting different. Seven felt a disturbed frown cross her face as she looked after him. It would be one thing if it was him acting like this to everyone, like he needed space and was being quiet, but it was obviously just her. After everything they had been through Nine was giving her the cold shoulder. Crossing her arms in frustration she let out a huff to show it.

She wished Nine could see it and knew of her disturbance, but whenever she was around him she gave him the benefit of the doubt, pretending that everything was fine. A light clicking noise alerted her and she looked back to see Three and Four watching her. They seemed curious and upset as though they were noticing what was happening as well, and Seven gave a sigh before forcing a smile. "It's fine. Come on, you too, let's get back to work." For the moment she pretended that everything was fine. However, she wouldn't let it go.

Later on she was determined to get to the bottom of it. She waited until she found Five without Nine and hurried over to him. From his almost frightened or startled look upon seeing her it was obvious that he knew what she was confronting him about. "What's going on with Nine?" She insisted firmly, "I know you've seen how Nine's been acting, dodging me and ignoring me, and if he's told anyone why it's you." Through her firmness Five could see the distress and the sadness as well. He looked sympathetic as he sighed.

"Nine… Won't talk about it. I've noticed it and I've asked about it, but he's been pretty quiet on the whole thing," Five admitted sheepishly. "Did something happen before we… Came back?" She shook her head at his inquiry. "Not at all! We were just… We were rather quiet. We were in brief mourning so we just travelled back to the Library together. He wasn't actively avoiding me though." She tried to think back and remember anything that could've started the rapid change in behavior.

Nothing came to mind and finally she looked to him again. "One of us has to ask him and he's avoiding me," she pointed out, "but I want to talk to him… I just need him to let me." The Healer nodded and looked away towards the stack of books working as a temporary workbench, "Yeah…" The Warrior looked away before finally turning to start off, still distressed about the entire thing. For a moment she thought she would be returning to the twins with no answers and no hope when Five abruptly perked.

"That's it!" He beamed and turned to the female. "Nine keeps avoiding you by being with me or doing a job, or seeing the others, or anything he can do in the Library." Seven nodded in agreement and listened. "But if you and Nine met outside of the Library and away from the others you two would have to talk!" Five insisted with a smile, but Seven seemed skeptic about the idea. "Nine's not going to go anywhere with me, Five. It's a good assumption, but he won't do it if he knows I'll be anywhere nearby."

"But he won't," Five quipped in. "You can wait somewhere and I'll bring him out. Or I'll take him somewhere and then you can come and meet us." The pale female seemed surprised at the offer. "Five, you'd be lying to Nine, your best friend! You haven't lied to anyone before!" The Healer sheepishly rubbed his neck, "I wouldn't say never." Seven got a playful smirk, "I would. You've never lied to anyone in your life." The one eyed male rested a hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "If it means getting my two friends talking again then I will."

The female looked down in partial embarrassment while being flattered. "What if he stops talking to you too?" Five paused before assuring with a smile, "This is Nine. He won't stop talking to everybody. There's no way he's that stubborn!" Though Five almost said it like he wanted to reassure himself more than reassuring Seven. So with that the plan was made. "I'll get Nine out to the phonograph around sunset. We'll do this," Five had assured in the end and time passed as they began to work.

Seven headed out to the phonograph and waited until Five eventually appeared with Nine. The Healer the made a quick excuse, "I'll be right back. Wait here and I'll grab a record to listen to." The one eyed male hurried off and Nine looked confused, but sat down on the handle of the phonograph and looked out at the sunset. Five passed the records and found Seven nearby on the other side of the wooden shed or booth beside the phonograph. "Okay, he's right over there," he pointed out to the female.

"I'll sneak back to the Library so that you can get some time alone, okay?" Five offered and Seven nodded. The Healer started off and the Warrior warned him with, "Be careful on your way." Five continued on his way as Seven collected her nerve and circled to the front. Seven wasn't the nervous type at all. She faced Beasts eagerly without any fear and yet approaching Nine directly made her nervous. Not as much as the factory, but certainly more than the average, hulking Beast. He didn't notice her at first.

"Nine…" Seven began and Nine's head shot upwards in alarm. His optics widened and he looked around past the female. "Where's Five?" His tone was almost meek like he was afraid to ask. He already figured out that something was amiss. "He left. He's going back to the Library." She crossed her arms firmly and announced, "We need to talk." There was stubbornness on her face and Nine felt the best thing to do was escape. He hopped down from the handle and quietly murmured, "I should go after him. He shouldn't be alone."

As he started to move Seven hurried forward and grabbed his shoulder to keep him from leaving. "No, we're talking about this," She insisted. "Since everything happened you've been giving me the cold shoulder and as far as I'm concerned nothing happened." The zippered male quietly continued with, "Nothing's going on. I need to go after Five, he shouldn't be alone out there." He didn't seem to have the direct will to pull away though, or maybe Seven's vice like grip already warned him that it wouldn't work.

"You're doing it again," she pointed out and suddenly Nine huffed. "No, I need to make sure Five and the others are okay. I can't always give you my attention and just look over the others like they don't matter. I can't always try to protect you when you do whatever you want anyway." There was annoyance and by the point he reached the end there was a clear bitterness as well. Seven's optics widened slightly and Nine didn't continue, so she did, "I didn't ever ask you to walk away from one of the others to attend to me."

"Just let me go…" Nine insisted in a slight beg. He didn't want to continue but now, this close, Seven couldn't possibly back down. "Nine, just tell me what it is! I can't read your mind and figure it out on my own!" Finally Nine turned to face her, the movement twisting her arm enough that she removed it from him. "It's always about you, Seven. You can't even let me take care of the others who clearly need me more than you do," he pointed out and she was taken aback, but he still continued with clear anger bubbling in his voice.

"But that's fine, isn't it? When the goings get tough you just get going. When any actual emotional investment is needed back from you, you aren't there long enough to even offer condolences!" Now Seven argued back while managing to keep a cool and even tone, "I was there through the entire event. I was there with the Cat Beast, with the Winged Beast, even inside the factory with you; I never fled." Now Nine called her out again, "You left after we mentioned we were going to One, you left after you fought with One, which is ironic considering-!"

Suddenly Nine caught himself and stopped. With a huff he averted his optics and continued, "You couldn't let anyone clip your wings, so what's even the point of trying? You'll do whatever you want." Seven was done and decided to snap back, "Do whatever I want?! I've never done whatever I wanted! I always have done what I could to protect the others, including you!" She pointed directly at his chest and dropped her spear aside to lean on the phonograph, "You're acting like I left after we lost them!"

"But you did!" Nine suddenly blurted out back, "When I needed you most you weren't there for me! Did you think I would just forget?! I just put it aside until after everything, something that you apparently could and couldn't do with One!" Suddenly Seven had a suspicion that she knew what Nine was talking about. Yet she didn't back down, "Forget what?! You certainly didn't act like anything was wrong until everything was better! What is it Nine?! What did I take from you- From the others that has you like this?!"

The zippered male stayed silent, looking away, and Seven started to cool off. "Just tell me, Nine, please. If I did something I want to know." She was being fully honest and the male hesitated. Then he sighed, a more saddened and calmed sigh as his anger lessened quite a bit. At first he said nothing and then he finally murmured, "Seven… Every moment I could I put you first, I did it because I care about you. At the Cathedral, when the Seamstress came, at the factory… I might have been able to save Eight if I tried."

"Nine…" Seven could hear the clear lamentation in his voice. Even with the fighting, the blaming, she was starting to feel bad for Nine. She had worried that he would start blaming himself for what happened eventually. "But I didn't get a chance, and I was… I was okay- Well, okay enough." He rambled before tensing, fists clenching. "…I wasn't prepared for Five being taken. I was so distracted that I wasn't watching him and… And Six… And just…" He trailed off for a few seconds and his voice grew shaky.

"…And I thought you'd still be on my side, I thought there was a way, but you didn't even listen." The upset returned in his voice. "It wasn't even the fact that you didn't believe me, it was the fact that you followed One who you were avoiding so much that you almost didn't return to the Cathedral! After all of the time I wasted, the chances I wasted to be with you, you returned it by abandoning me when I needed you!" Nine was panting again and Seven was actually somewhat surprised by the reveal.

She hadn't ever thought it bothered Nine that much considering how he came back and helped them escape the Machine after that point. Looking at him in alarm she saw his face fall into sadness and watched as he moved beside the phonograph, leaning against it and sliding down. "But… It's not like you were really in the wrong… After all the times I messed up, I wouldn't trust my decisions either." He sat down on the ground, resting his head on his arms as he just sat there. Seven finally willed herself forward and sat down beside of him.

"Nine, you… No, I should've trusted you. It wasn't fair of me to not trust you after you saved me from the Machine. You were the only one really asking questions and figuring things out…" She shrugged a little bit, "I don't know, I just… I got scared. I thought just killing it quickly would save us, but instead I almost destroyed everything." Nine shook his head in his arms as though disagreeing, but didn't move his head back at all to say anything or look at her. She reached out and laid her hand on his back to comfort him, on the upper portion of his number.

"If it wasn't for you none of them would've made it out and their souls wouldn't have been freed, they would have actually died for good. You can't blame yourself for everything." She was starting to realize that perhaps Nine's anger towards her wasn't fully directed towards her. He pulled back into the sitting position and glanced at her, starting to look a bit apologetic. "I'm sorry, Seven. About what I said- I don't even know why I said it. It shouldn't have bothered me after everything that happened," he meekly continued and Seven answered firmly.

"Don't apologize… Because you're right…" She sighed and looked forward, "Nine, I… I do have a problem with running away. Back when I left the Cathedral- Maybe One was acting like a tyrant, but instead of staying I left. I left behind Six, Five, and Two while endangering the twins. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, but I was certain at the time it would make everything better." She felt Nine lean on her a bit and his head rested on her shoulder.

Gently she reached out and rested her hand on his as though to tuck his head underneath hers. "But I became reliant on it. I learned how to physically fight my battles, but never the ability to face something that I couldn't fight, so I learned to run. Trust me, you haven't seen how desperate I've gotten." Yet Nine felt the need to defend, "But you did fight to protect us. Against the Seamstress, the Winged Beast…" Seven chuckled dryly.

"And then on the bridge I panicked. Six was gone, Five was gone, and when One came with the suggestion to destroy it outright I sort of… Clung to it." They then sat there in silence together as they both let everything sink in. What had been a full out fight had now digressed into something softer, something more honest and healing. The day continued and eventually the sun started to glint down as it descended into a setting position. It was at this time that Nine and Seven started talking again.

"We should head back home," Seven insisted and Nine nodded in agreement. "Sure, just… Again, I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean it." The Warrior smiled at him, "Maybe you didn't, but I rather hear it then have you hide away from me. No more hiding; we face our problems together, alright?" She pushed her helmet back and pressed her forehead against his affectionately. He sighed as though the touch was pure relief and smiled a bit, "Alright. I think I can do that." They stood and were planning to head out when Nine hesitated again.

"…Seven…" He looked to the needle on the phonograph, remembering when they had been sitting there what seemed like forever ago. "…When we were up there watching the others, before everything happened, I was planning to tell you something… But I backed down and by time I almost regained the nerve everything happened." He seemed a little nervous as he looked over towards the female. "I'm sorry about everything today, so I… I think I should just go for it and tell you, so I don't feel any more regrets around you and so we're open and honest…"

Seven gave a nod and listened carefully, tightening her hold on her spear so that she could smother any anxiety. "Seven, I… I have feelings for you… I don't understand them, but I do know that they've been here for a while… That's why I went to save you and that's why I would go back again." He felt heat enter his cheek and she felt a delight course through her center, underneath her toggle. "So, umm, that's all… Sorry to be so awkward about this," Nine pointed out with clear awkwardness and a sheepish smile.

Instead Seven simply asked in a breathy gasp, "You… Love me?" The word was almost foreign to Nine and yet made complete sense upon hearing it. As though he had once known of it and somehow forgotten, "...Yes. I do…" Now he couldn't merely pass it off, he had to wait for a reaction, but wasn't expecting any miracles considering his behavior earlier. The Warrior stepped forward immediately and leaned again him, using her free hand to pull him closer so that she could nuzzle her head against his.

"Nine, I… I've never felt like this before. Never for anyone else." Nine's pulse raced in anticipation as the final words slipped from her lips. "I love you too." His face burst into a smile as he suddenly embraced her, nearly knocking her off her feet in his fit of joy. "You do?! Even- Even after- Are you sure?!" Seven giggled lightly at his insecurity, "Of course I'm sure!" He pulled her in closer, into a warm and tender hug, and with a tilt of the head she initiated a gentle kiss on his rougher lips.

Nine didn't even fully know what it was and yet it felt so nice, so warm and intimate, and he was lost in it. In fact it wasn't until he started to need to regain his breath that he had to pull back. He was matched with Seven's amused smile and he returned it with his own. That was, until his optics briefly flickered past her to the sky and he turned alert. "It's getting late. We probably won't be home until dark," he pointed out and the female shrugged it off. "That's probably best. We don't want One breathing down our necks as soon as we get there."

She took his hand and the two started to walk back. The male chuckled a little bit at the comment, "He takes me as the type to stay awake and wait for us." The two shared a laugh and continued on through the Emptiness. They moved slowly and carefully to make sure that they didn't attract any Beasts, which they didn't. By time they got home a couple of stars were dotting the sky and they entered into the Library. "I think I'll head to bed," Seven suggested with a smile and Nine kissed her on the cheek.

"Okay. Get a good night's sleep. I love you," Nine quipped back. Yet Seven didn't move away. Instead she looked to her spear almost anxiously, playing with it in her hands. "Is something wrong?" Nine offered in his normal friendly and concerned way. It was nice to have him back to his old self again. She looked to him with a strangely embarrassed look, or perhaps simply uncertain, and offered, "Nine… Why don't you stay the night with me?" Nine blinked in response to the offer, but didn't have to think long.

"Okay, sure. If you're sure," he clarified, though stood there unmoving until Seven took his hand to guide. She led him back through the Library towards her own sleeping quarters. Naturally she already has some here as she had been staying with the twins. She guided him along a slanted bookcase into the upper area of the Library, an area Nine himself hadn't seen yet. Her room was inside of a cardboard box and was close to the twins', though they were probably still down in their study at the moment or with the others.

Inside there was a sort of warmth in the darkness. The candle in the corner was unlit, probably because of the box's flammable nature, and a few weapons propped against the wall. There was what looked to be a rack that was made out of some sort of small, thin skeleton. As Seven set her spear into it, it occurred to Nine that it was probably made from the same bones that her helmet was made out of. She set it onto a small, metal hook that she had poking through the wall of the box, then faced him with just herself.

She took his hands and guided him towards the bed slowly. It looked like a much smaller box filled with plush stuffing and topped with a few mismatched blankets that were stitched half-hazard together. Still, it looked rather comfortable, more comfortable then the book that Nine slept on the night before. She guided him over and climbed back onto her bed, still watching him carefully as she did so. She stretched out onto the soft bedding and Nine looked down at her, over her beautiful, white fabric, and was lost.

Something controlled his body and started to puppeteer him as he climbed onto the bed as well. He leaned over her body and lowered to take her lips in a tender kiss. She almost immediately kissed back and wrapped her arms around his necks and shoulders. As they got lost in each other's touches they continued to kiss and be delighted by it. Seven slipped her leg upwards a little bit and Nine hooked a hand underneath it, caressing the curve of her thigh as he presses their hips together.

There was a growing warmth in the area where they are touching, both against their fronts and between their legs. Nine's not certain what specifically this area is, he doesn't know why it tingles in delight, but at the same time part of him knows that he wants something more. He gently rubs against her as she sighs in delight. In the period when their lips are separated she kisses at his neck where his burlap slightly frills out underneath the metal. He gives a groan and clasps her hips, not understanding this new feeling and unsure if he's doing everything right.

"S-Seven?" He questions, especially once he notices something changing. The area between her legs had changed slightly. No longer was it simply normal fabric, but he could feel something metal in the center, opening to him. It was a bit too dark to see and he was afraid looking down to examine would ruin the very carefully cultivated mood. Also, Nine was starting to notice something odd about himself. There was a growing sensitivity and pressure between his own legs, something trapped beneath his burlap.

Seven had to notice it but she didn't seem too uncertain or questioning, so Nine simply went along with it. He continued to desperately grind against her, kissing along her toggle now as her hands caressed his back. It was then that she stopped him with a light push on his shoulders. He leaned back with a questioning look on his face, afraid that he had done something wrong, but she simply smiled and reached for his zipper pull. As she unzipped him he shivered at the tingly sensation from the action.

As he was fully opened something like a rod slipped from his confines. He gasped at seeing it and followed by a pleasure filled moan as Seven slid her hand lightly along it. "Do you know what we're doing?" she asked him and he hit his lip, "Not really…" He gave a crooked smile that Seven returned with a sweet one. "Then let me show you." She slid herself forward and gently moved Nine closer, connecting their bodies once more. Nine eagerly followed suit and soon the tip of his rod, still sensitive and needy, pressed to the opening of metal between her legs.

He knew what he was supposed to do. Slowly Nine started to push in and Seven winced lightly, but quickly smothered it. When he stopped for a few moments she started to push back towards him as though encouraging that she was alright to continue. Finally they were pushed together, him securely inside of her tight heat, and he waited until he could feel her relax comfortably. It didn't take too long for her to do so and once she did he began a steady rhythm of his own, gently sliding in and out of her.

The pleasure almost immediately started to intensify at this point. Nine started to thrust a little faster and Seven started to lose herself as well, one hand clutching his back and the other clutching the bedding. She arched her back delicately into his touch as he continued. Their bodies moved together as one in a delightful dance, building heat and pleasure at the delightful friction. He clutched to her waist, she moved back against him firmly, and they built themselves to a height that they had never felt beforehand.

It ended in a sudden swoop. Seven plummeted first with a cry of Nine's name and was overtaken by the feeling, shivering and trembling in his grasp. As her body tightened around him he hit his end as well. It was a beautiful sensation that his body and mind could only barely comprehend. When he came down they were laying together on the bed, cuddled into each other. He fumbled around somewhere for the blanket and tugged it upwards, but when it caught under one of them and refused to move he simply let it go.

Seven was still panting when she regained enough strength to turn onto her side and affectionately nuzzle into his zipper. He held her close in return, no longer to ignore her, never to ignore her again perhaps. The disputes were long forgotten and they were both ready to move on to a new future, together.

_**FIN** _


	7. 9x5: Bathing in Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a day out 5 and 9 share a bath. Things take a turn once in the warm water and 5 becomes a makeshift teacher to explain to 9 about the lesser known secrets of the Stitchpunk body, but he might learn some things of his own as well.

_**Bathing in Knowledge** _

_For Bettagirl_

Nine tended to go out into the Emptiness quite a lot to scout. It was never a bad day to search through heaps of rubble and cement to find leftover things that may be of use. When it was blisteringly sunny, when it was a downpour of rain, and even on a rare occasion when the world was thick with snow, Nine would still find a way to get out every few days. Naturally that meant that he would drag Five along with him. Most of the time Five was willingly compliant and when he wasn't he was silently reluctant, going along with it against his better judgement so that they could spend time together.

It was strange to get so much rain in the summer months. It was a relief from the stuffy heat, of course, but it had left the outside world a mess of muck and mud. Three hours of climbing and sliding through the muddy mess and the two returned to the Library looking worse for wear. Exactly half way down all the way to their feet was nearly coated in a layer of mud and as much as Nine tried to kick it off it refused to budge. Eventually Five gave a defeated exhale and pointed out, "It looks like we're going to need a bath." Getting Nine into a bath was the tricky part and as expected the male shrugged it off.

"I don't think it's that bad." He casually defended and tried to wipe some of it off, "Maybe we need to clean off with one of the ink rags. I don't think Six will mind." The Healer frowned. A couple of pieces of cloth designed to clean ink weren't going to handle this. "Maybe for the footprints…" Five pointed out and looked back at the trail they led in, "But not for all of this. Even Six has to bathe occasionally." There was an obvious difference, though. Six didn't like bathes for his own reasons, Nine on the other hand just didn't seem to want to waste the time to bathe.

"It'll give us a chance to try the new pipe system." Five encouraged further and this seemed to convince the younger. "Alright. I don't see any harm in it." He set what he had hoarded from the Emptiness onto a nearby book before following his one eyed friend back into the Library. Not even at the Cathedral did the Stitchpunks ever get a working pipe system, so the new arrangement at the Library was a clear step in the right direction. A small room had been built into the wall of the Library with the pipe system, a small furnace, and a large porcelain bowl to be used for cleaning.

It didn't take long for Five to put a little stacked wood into the furnace and light it, warming the water that had collected in the pipes. Once it was slightly warm, though not too warm as it was still summer, he turned the lever to open the spout and water began to pour out into the bowl. Nine meanwhile looked over the few bars of soap that they had. "Do the different scents change anything?" He inquired and the Healer was amused by his curiosity, "Not really. It's just whichever you want to smell like." The younger continued to smell and test them before deciding on one bar in particular.

He toted it over and dropped it into the warm water before Five started to take off his things. "Alright, so should I go first, or…?" He turned back just as Nine was stepping into the water and blinked, "Oh, umm, then you can go first." His friend raised a brow, "Go first? I think there's enough room. Why don't we just bathe together?" The thought triggered warmth in the one eyed male's face, an innocent embarrassment. "Well, usually it's a custom that Stitchpunks don't… Bathe together." He pointed out, but Nine was just as casual as he always was. "That's probably just another thing One said, right?"

Five couldn't argue with that and didn't answer. "Come on, the water's great! It keeps you from having to run another bath and we can talk or something." The older had noticed that his slightly younger friend tended to not want to be alone. When he wasn't with Five he was with Seven, or Two, or the twins, or Six, or even with One or Eight if they were in vicinity. Five wasn't sure what brought out this behavior, but had supported it until this point so he gave a nod and started to approach the bath. "Alright. If you insist." He exhaled in a sigh, "But if we kick each other then I'm blaming you!"

Nine gave a ring of laugher and scooted enough so that his best friend could sit down beside him. Five slid into the warm water comfortably, exhaling as he did so, and took a few seconds to relax. Nine began trying to rub the soap bar on himself before giving in and just scraping off enough with his hands to use. He was immediately at his legs, working at the dirt and turning the once clean water a slightly foggier color from his efforts. He hummed as he did so and Five couldn't recognize the tune and assumed it was from his own creation. His optic moved to focus on Nine's back as he listened in.

The zippered male finished his legs before reaching back to do his back, though a bit awkwardly. He could only reach half of his number and even though his back wasn't dirty he seemed insistent in cleaning it. Five sat upwards and decided to make an offer, "Need some help?" Nine leaned back his head to shoot a smile at Five, "Yeah, if you don't mind." Five smiled and slid behind his friend. He gathered some of the soap in his hands before rubbing over the '9' on his back. Nine groaned a bit and dropped his head forward, pleased by it, and Five got a more amused smile.

"You know, maybe hours of hiking in the elements wasn't such a good idea." He coaxed and received a little chuckle, but Nine was relaxing too much to laugh more. Five enjoyed that he was making his friend feel so good and continued to pet him. His hands were as warm as the water and clever, knowing exactly where to rub to get the best reaction. It occurred to Five that he wasn't really cleaning Nine and instead was massaging him. Still he continued, wanting to please his friend, and only after a few more minutes pulled back. He slid back into his spot and patted his friend's shoulder to signal that he was done. Nine slid back into position, "Thanks, Five."

"No problem, Ni-." He made a sudden choke and stared at the other until Nine noticed, "Uh… Five? Something wrong?" The one eyed male was looking down at his friend's lap and Nine looked down as well. There was something obviously pressing against the burlap between his legs, revealing itself eagerly. Still Nine managed to remain relatively unconcerned, "Oh… Yeah, that. That came back." Five sputtered, "Came back?!" Nine raised a hand as though to calm him, "Don't panic, it's appeared before. Once I woke in the middle of the night and it was there and it just, I guess, came out again. It's no problem."

Five could only stare, though insistently at Nine's face now, and quietly asked, "Do you know what that is?" Nine hesitated before honestly shaking his head, "Not exactly… But it didn't hurt so I assumed it was normal." Five coughed nervously and looked away, "It is!... Well, not really. I mean, it is, but it's- It's not something- It's not common but it is there." He was rambling back and forth and Nine just simply watched him. "So you know what it is?" He clarified, "That's sort of a relief. I just thought maybe I had some sort of weird, defective part that kept coming out of place. So what is it?"

"What is it?" Five repeated, "Well, umm… It's a very normal thing… It's a rod." He managed to force out, sinking further into the water. Nine quirked a brow, "I think I figured that much out." Five exhaled and continued, "No, Nine, it's like… It's you mating part. Males and females have different… Parts that they use to mate and reproduce." Nine now looked alarmed by the news, "Wait, we can reproduce?!" Five bit his lip, "Yeah, we… When two Stitchpunks really love each other-." His younger friend stopped him, "No, you don't need to explain how, just why haven't we? There's only nine of us."

The one eyed male sort of shrugged and answered, "I guess nobody's been close enough to do it, mate with parts or with soul bonding for Stitchpups. Or close enough with Seven if male and female matters. I don't know if two males could have a baby." Nine seemed relieved, "Oh, so you already know about One and Two. I didn't think you did." Five sputtered and his optic widened impossibly, " _What?!_ " Nine suddenly realized his mistake and tried to cover himself, "Well, you know… Anyway, why did mine come out? I wasn't thinking anything about mating." The older just sat there silently for a few seconds.

"Come on, Five, you had to suspect that something was going on." Nine pointed out in near exasperation, mentally kicking himself for even bringing it into the conversation. "With Two going into One's room all the time and just not coming back." Five felt the need to interrupt the current flow of the conversation, "-I'm thinking that it came out, maybe, because of me… Because I was rubbing you, because of the water, you just got comfortable and your body reacted." This seemed to make the most sense and may have calmed down Five himself as well. It all made sense once again.

"Is there a way for it to go away?" Nine asked the other before fidgeting, "It's a little uncomfortable… That's normal, right?" Five found his face growing hot. It made sense that Nine was asking him as he was the Healer, but part of him couldn't help but feel just a little heightened by it. Something about the other directly mentioning the need for attention brought the same need in him, but he ignored it and tried to remain professional. "It is… Sometimes it goes away on its own… or you could get in cold water… Or you could stimulate-." His voice choked, he couldn't finish the sentence.

"Is… That what you're going to do?" Nine offered and Five flinched, suddenly realizing that, again, Nine noticed something before he did. Five didn't even dare to look down because he knew what was there waiting for him. "…Yeah." He started to slowly stand, "In fact, I'm going to go do that right now." He was stopped by the younger's hand on his, "Wait, you haven't even cleaned off yet. Sit back down." He coaxed and Five dropped down beside his friend, mortified. "This is pretty embarrassing." Nine admitted with a crooked smile and Five gave a small smile back, "Y-Yeah. It sort of is…"

"But we're friends, right? Friends should be able to deal with these things together." Nine encouraged and Five suddenly had an inappropriate thought flash in his head, "You mean us dealing with each other like _that?_ " Nine blinked and when he realized he quickly insisted, "I didn't mean that, Five, I just meant beside…" He paused and Five didn't like the fact that Nine stopped to think about this. "Nine, we couldn't." He insisted, but Nine decided to remark, "Why not?" Five wanted to list out the reasons, but his voice was caught by his friend's willingness, in sheer disbelief.

Nine slid in and put an arm around Five's shoulder, rubbing it gently, trying to get him to relax a little. "I mean…Unless you think it's a bad idea." Suddenly he sounded a little uncertain and Five decided to actually contemplate it. It wasn't as though he was taking advantage of Nine and it really wasn't like they would be doing anything wrong. He was closer to Nine than anyone else and it was in a much different way than his closeness to Two. He paused before finally giving in, "We can try." It was strange how quickly Nine perked and smiled; Five assumed it was because he trusted him by agreeing.

Either way Five continued with, "Just… Let me start, I think I- Before I lose my nerve." He sputtered out and the younger didn't protest. Five wouldn't lie to himself; he was more than thrilled to touch Nine, to bring the same joy as he did with the massage, but at the same time he was very unfamiliar with it. He slowly reached forward and rested a hand on Nine's thigh, gently petting it. He then used his other hand to caress Nine's zipper pull. Nine sighed in pleasure and Five couldn't help but give a warm smile. "Do you like this?"

The younger nodded eagerly, "Y-Yeah… I didn't expect it like this, you're not even really touching anything different." The older chuckled, "I know… It's- Things feel different when you're like this." Five knew his explanation was clumsy at best, but he decided to show more with his hands. He tugged Nine's zipper pull down slightly and the younger male gasped in delight at the sensation. Five playfully zipped him close again before repeating and unzipping him hallway down. "Hah…" Nine gasped again and murmured a soft, "Five, could you, please-."

Five nodded and slid his hand from Nine's thigh and gently pressed it against the bulge between the male's legs. There was a soft hiss of response and a tremble, and the movement sent a sudden rush through the one eyed male. He grew bolder, tugging the zipper down all the way to the bottom and allowing the hidden rod to spring free of its confines. Nine looked at it in slight curiosity, having not actually opened himself to see it out of either modesty or the process of attempting to ignore it. Five finally braced himself and took the last step, wrapping his warm hand around the object.

The cry Nine released was absolutely amazing. So needy and wanting in one short yelp. Five couldn't stop himself as he began to slowly massage over the metal, stroking it in an attempt to create more of the noises. They were so nice, so reassuring, so much that Five wanted to hear. With every massaging squeeze he knew that Nine was being dragged further down. He could see it in the fluttering in his optics and relished in it. But Nine hadn't dealt with pleasure like this before and all at one he tensed with a final gasp and reached his climax. Dark liquid spilled out of his rod and Five cleaned them both off with the water.

"Wow…" Nine simply admitted once he managed to calm his breathing and Five gave a sheepish smile, "Better?" He didn't know what else to say and actually received a smile from Nine. "Much better. That was-…" He didn't know how to voice it and instead slid closer eagerly. The Healer knew what he was planning to do and felt heat enter his cheeks, "Nine, you don't have to… You don't have to feel like you have to return the favor- Or return what I did." He babbled onwards, but to no avail as Nine seemed pretty content with what he was planning on doing.

"I'm not doing this to return a favor." Nine playfully retorted with a chuckle. He reached forward to slip open Five's front, playfully teasing over the lower button in circular motions. The Healer groaned at the sensation as something once so innocent now felt much less so. Soon Five was opened and his rod slipped out of its confines as well, revealing itself, and Nine slipped his hand around it. Five mentally admitted that Nine was always a quick learner, triggering even more heat and embarrassment to grow in his face. With one stroke he groaned in delight and shivered pleasantly. Though oddly enough Nine immediately stopped.

Even when Five stated that Nine didn't have to do it he found himself looking to the younger in confusion when he stopped. Nine paused to think and slid forward to get in front of the one eyed male. Five was slightly uncertain until Nine lay his hands on his inner thighs, caressing over them affectionately before leaning down closer to the rod. Five's pulse raised, _"Is he about to-? It sort of looks like- But I don't even know if that works or-!"_ While his mind stumbled with words his voice box couldn't create a good sentence, "I-I- Nine- Are you-?" He cut off with a short cry as the lips touched the tip of his rod.

"Relax." Nine purred as he almost smirked upwards at the older, "I just want to see if this… If this works…" He then became a bit more concerned, "Is that alright? I can stop." Five shook his head quickly, "No. I mean- I mean you don't need to stop, I'm… I just…" He gave an embarrassed smile, "I… I shouldn't be talking." This actually triggered laughter from Nine who playfully nuzzled his head against Five's lower belly. It sent a different kind of warmth through him and he felt himself relax further. Finally Nine returned to his ministrations by leaning down to gently kiss along his rod.

A groan exited Five's lips, but changed into a pleasured cry as Nine took the rod slightly in between his burlap lips. He gave a small suckle and listened happily to the Healer's pleased moans. His hands grabbed tightly at the edge of the bowl and his head lulled back as the pressure grew in his lower parts. It was coming too quickly until suddenly it struck its peak. All at once Five's vision went white and pleasure exploded as he released. It must have been sudden as Nine coughed in alarm and Five forced himself to speak past the pleasure. "Sorry!" He blurted out, but the younger slid upwards, looking amused and happy with the reaction.

He gently pressed his forehead against Five's and let the male rest briefly. As the Healer finally pulled himself together he smiled, "That was… Great." He admitted, "Really great! I didn't think- I don't know if it was right or not, but it was!" Nine sat down beside him, hugging him tightly still, and insisted, "Right or not, that was something amazing." The nuzzling continued, Five putting an arm around Nine and tugging him closer. He pressed his lips gently against Nine's cheek in a bold fashion. Nine didn't pull back, didn't argue, and simply gave a slight exhale. It felt nice, it felt right.

Then Nine turned his head and allowed his lips to brush Five. Five gasped and almost pulled back, but didn't, he regained the boldness and leaned in a bit. It was awkward and not quite kissing back even though he wanted to. When they did move apart the zippered male returned to hugging the buttoned male, his head resting on the other's shoulder affectionately. A few more minutes passed until Five pulled back, smiling shyly, "Water's starting to get cold. We should probably get out." Nine nodded in agreement and started to stand, stumbling a bit as he lifted himself out of the bowl.

He then offered a hand to Five to help him out. They decided to wait and dump the dirty water out later, thick with dirt and mud. Five pulled out two clothes as towels and handed one to Nine. Nine began to dry his face and zipper pull only to notice that Five was now facing the other way. He was focused on what he was doing and now paying attention as the zippered male got another tiny smile and approached. He reached forward and began to dry off the one eyed male's back. The healer looked back over his shoulder only to see his smile, and sweetly smile back at the friendly gesture.

Once Nine was finished Five turned back to him and returned the gesture. He looped the towel behind his body and began to rub at him playfully. Nine gave a soft chuckle. Something was amiss. Both of them knew it, both of them could feel it, but something was different from when they got in the bath. Five stopped his drying and stared at Nine, Nine stared back with his wide, knowing optics. Then the former leaned in and claimed the latter's lips, using the towel to pull him closer. Nine kissed back eagerly and slid his arms around Five shoulders to pull him even closer.

At some point the very deep kissing suddenly changed to a more intimate tone as Five pressed Nine's hips to his own. He only meant to get a better grip, but instead realized that they both had a very obvious need between them, a much more familiar one. The Healer desperately ground against his friend and received a delighted gasp in return. Then he ground back and suddenly a desperate frenzy began of grinding and gasping. It was a frenzy of undeniable need. When they were helping each other it was friendly and patient, yet here it was something deeper and needed more.

Nine guided them back against the wall by the door, needing to use it as leverage and pulling Five closer against him. He spread his legs a bit more and even though they were closed again they continued. Five played with the idea of opening each other again so that there was more contact, but his hands were almost too shaky as he touched Nine's zipper pull. Nine tried to assist and managed to get himself open, but then buckled with Five's buttons as each seemed to teasingly slip out of his grip over and over. The Healer finally did it himself and passed a hesitantly amused smile, but still shook in excitement.

It was hard to consider that such little burlap had smothered any of the pleasure. Yet it did, and the metal of metal was absolutely fantastic and they could only take a few moments of it before suddenly they tumbled into release. It was so sudden and still so powerful. Five dropped his head onto Nine's shoulder and the zippered male panted, trying to regain his breath. Soon Nine gave a playful chuckle, "Hey." He spoke and Five asked, "Yeah?" Then Nine playfully remarked, "Now we have to get back in the bath." It sunk in and Five could help but give a tired laugh as well.

* * *

"Five?" Two asked in concern as he noticed that the male again trailed off. His apprentice seemed rather distracted at the moment and straightened in alarm. "Oh, yeah, sorry… I was just… Distracted." Two raised a quizzical brow and looked to his workbench again while asking, "With what, might I ask?" Five knew he couldn't tell his mentor what he did with Nine and gave a partial truth, "Well, umm… I told Nine about… You know." He coughed and admitted, "About mating and… Such." The shorter male chuckled, "Ah, he couldn't help but ask you, could he?"

"What?" Five squeaked, wondering what that meant, and Two casually remarked, "Well, I told him last week or so. I only gave him the basic talk and I think he might have been a bit too embarrassed to ask more questions." He pointed out in amusement, but Five was just staring as the truth sunk in. Nine had known the entire time, or at least knew the jest of it, and he slowly murmured, "Excuse me, Two…" He hurried towards the door to go question Nine, "I, uh, I have to do something really quick!" He hoped that Two couldn't see his embarrassment.

But he could hear Two's chuckling, so he probably did. Nine was definitely going to hear about this.

_**FIN** _


	8. 4x5, 3x6: They who Drift Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While trying to take down the Drone, 5, 6, and the twins are carried away from battle and into the Emptiness. Now the four only have each other. Though perhaps this entire event has drawn them closer than they imagined it would, and the need for comfort outweighs the fear.

**They who Drift Away**

_For Skyler_

This couldn't have been the plan that Nine was intending for. Everything was just going too wrong and as Five stared down into the tunnel leading into the factory he realized they still hadn't arrived. "Where are they?" He asked in concern, trying to think of where they possibly could be. Naturally in the factory, but he wasn't sure why it took this long for Nine, Seven, and Eight to return outside. His mind raced with the horrors that could be now concocting inside of the building. Another gush of hot air wafted out and struck his face, causing him to wince slightly as One approached from behind.

"It's been too long!" He insisted before eyeing Five's back and reaching forward, "We have to do it now!" He practically lunged forward and grappled for a match in the Healer's pack. The one eyed male only noticed because he glanced back and managed to catch One's hands. The Leader was stubborn and fought against him convincingly. Five struggled to plead with him, "No, they need more time!" It was at that second that a light fell upon them, shining from high above. Both males looked back in alarm to see none other than ones of the Machine's many seekers above them.

Five let out a short cry of dread before yanking his harpoon gun free. Only a moment of aiming and he fired, sending the hook in the barrel flying the long distance and hooking onto the floating machine's body. Five tossed his harpoon aside and grasped fully onto the rope before yanking at it, "Help me pull it down!" The Seeker took two seconds to stare at the situation before turning to flee, turning the crank on its side as the siren began to echo through the surroundings. Five struggled to keep his footing as the others rushed over. He could feel Six first grab ahold of him, then Three, and Four clung to Three's back.

They were dragged a short distance before a sudden tug by the Seeker lifted their feet from the ground. Five wasn't intending on this to happen and as they started to get carried away he cried out again in horror. One stared afterwards before noticing the rope laying before him. He reached down and grabbed it before turning towards the barrel and knotting it around a jutting piece of metal. He tied it quickly and securely before looking back towards the four who were now a good deal into the air. However, something then happened that none of the Stitchpunks expected to happen.

One thought that this would stop the Beast, ergo stopping the Stitchpunks in the air as well, but when the rope was tightened it snapped mid-way. The Stitchpunks clinging on were shaken, but didn't release, and Five called out again as his bag shifted and spilled a couple of needles onto the ground, "One!" One's calm compositor was now completely gone and he scrambled before seeing the harpoon. He grabbed it before running over to the fallen needles and loading it, "Just let go! It's not too far, let go!" Though as the one eyed male looked down he was becoming certain that it was too high to jump now.

One fired at the Seeker. Unfortunately it was a weapon that the Leader was unfamiliar with and because of such he missed. Not like it would have done much good. Five, Six, and the twins slowly began to get carried off into the distance and One turned back towards the factory. He didn't have the faintest idea what they would do now, but, welling what courage he had, he held the harpoon close and started down into the tunnel after Nine.

* * *

It was a while before the Seeker lowered enough for them to be able to fall safely. It had carried them over a wide warzone that Five was certain he had passed through once before. The top of a foxhole was high enough that when they hovered over it Five suddenly announced, "We need to let go!" He paused to check the others before looking down, "Alright, ready…. Now!" He released the rope and the other three fell with him, landing in a heap on the foxhole, save Six who began to tumble down the hill. The one eyed male sat up quick enough to catch the glimpse of yarn before Six continued his descent.

"Six!" Five called and dashed over. The twins soon overtook Five and ran passed him after the striped male who stopped at the bottom. He was clearly shaken, but righted himself quickly as Three and Four took to his sides. Three crouched down in concern while Four signaled for Five with a wave. The Healer arrived at their side and knelt down, "Are you alright?" He asked quickly and Six paused before nodding, "I-I think so…" The second he got this confirmation the buttoned male stood abruptly and looked around. "We have to get back to the factory. The others need us."

Yet as he looked at the surroundings he suddenly realized that he lost his bearings on the way. He didn't have a map or a compass and the sky was thick with clouds. He was starting to grow frantic and called over, "Come on! We have to get back to the others!" He was hoping to rally them together and the twins stood before helping Six to his feet who promptly cried out and stumbled before falling back into a sitting position, grabbing at his ankle. The twins silently gasped and Five looked back towards the three, "What is it?" Six looked upwards, pain in his mismatched optics, "My… My ankle is wrong."

Five's healer instincts overtook his desperation to get back to the others and he crossed back before crouching down to feel the ankle. It obviously was popped out of place and unfortunately this meant he would have to fix it, and he knew that wouldn't be pleasant at all. "Okay, it's not too bad. I can fix it, but…" He straightened and looked around the warzone in paranoia before looking to the twins, "Three, Four, I can't fix him here. My weapon's gone, there's probably Beasts somewhere out here… I'm going to carry him, but I need you two to be my optics for me." The females were almost stunned by the offer, but nodded.

Five hoisted Six onto his back and the twins guided the way. They searched around for a safe place to rest and tried to coax Five and Six along. It became very apparent that unless they wanted to hide under a crate that the safest option was, ironically, the foxhole that they landed atop. They guided Five down to the opening inside, alighting their optics and looking around inside to make sure that it was secure. Thankfully it was empty and they beckoned him further in, Four resting a hand on Five's arm while Three searched for a comfortable spot.

Eventually she found a leftover burlap sack laying off to the side and dubbed it the best spot. Six was soon eased down into the sitting position. "Alright, Three, Four, good job." He smiled to them, "But now I need you to both take one of Six's hands. This… Isn't going to be comfortable." Six was trembling in dread as his hands were taken, but he knew it was not only for comfort. He had a problem lashing out when he was in pain and he knew with his hands that the others were at a small risk, even if he didn't intend on hurting anyone. The twins weren't fearful though and simply waited as Five gripped the foot and twisted.

Six only had chance to release a yelp before it was over. He panted as he tried to smother the lingering sting in his ankle, pulling it close to him almost protectively. Three moved to wrap her arms around his shoulders before squeezing him in a soft hug, resting his head in the crook of her neck. Six eagerly accepted the hold and slipped an arm around her in return. The Healer exhaled, "The others need us. We need to get back to them as soon as possible." Then his Healer instincts kicked in and he murmured, "But Six can't walk like this…"

He then huffed and stood, talking as though speaking to himself, "But I'm tired of just sitting and waiting! I've been doing that for too long- With Two- And now… And now the others are going to end up just like he is! But I don't even know where _we_ are!" The outburst was odd for Five and both Three and Four stared in concern while Six actually looked slightly fearful, or perhaps it was simply surprise. He had never seen the one eyed male so upset before and it took him completely off guard. Five paused as he noticed the others staring at him, his ramble fading away.

"Umm…" He murmured in embarrassment and coughed a bit, "I'm going to go out and just… See if I can figure out where we are." With that he turned and started straight out. The twins looked to each other before Four stood and hurried after the taller male. Her sister watched her in concern, but trusted her judgement and decided not to follow. Instead she squeezed Six tighter in her grasp and nuzzled into his yarn. Four, meanwhile, was soon standing outside of the foxhole and could see Five wandering over towards a knocked over post which had separated itself from the nest of barbed wire.

For a few seconds Five just stood there, obviously troubled. It actually made Four's center hurt to watch him look so lost. Then again she felt lost too in a way. Her mind wandered back to Seven, Eight, and Nine still in the factory, to One who they left behind, to Two who they had lost, and now to Five who they were losing. This wasn't the same optimistic Stitchpunk she once knew. As he sat down on the wooden object he let his head drop into his hands and rubbed his face tiredly. She dared to inch closer to him, staring at the half empty quiver on his back as she does. He doesn't notice her until she is beside him.

"Four!" He jumped a bit for a second and she gave a small wave. "Four, what are you doing out here? It's… It's not safe." She signed to him in reply, reusing the question and aiming it towards him. "I told you… I'm trying to get my bearings..." He turned to look forward across the wasteland. "Trying to figure out… Where we could've landed out here." Four didn't seem completely content with the answer and simply sat down beside him, daintily folding her legs before her and staring out across the Emptiness. After a few moments Five put his head back into his hands once more and Four frowned at this.

She reached out a pet his arm affectionately and he lowered a hand to rest on hers. "…Thanks." He simply stated and she smiled before signing with her free hand reassuringly. He didn't seem fully content and exhaled, "But in a way, it is my fault… I wasn't careful enough with Two and the one time I try to fight back I cause us to get stranded. Right when the others needed us…" He was absolutely distraught and Four slid closer before hugging him as his sister had to Six. Trying to comfort him and perhaps trying to receive some comfort of her own. He eagerly held her closer than ever.

There was a tingling warmth that felt good compared to the empty and cold feeling he had been suffering though. Five had been feeling so lost recently and this small bit of affection was everything now. He couldn't help himself as he pulled back only slightly, looking down at the small female whose curious eyes stared upwards at him. They were always filled with love and concern and it was most apparent now in this desperate time. He found himself leaning forward and let his lips take hers. Four was taken entirely aback. It wasn't that Five hadn't shown her affection before, but it was nothing like this.

Nothing ever this direct. Small smiles, occasional blushes, overly helpful behavior; it was all rather chaste and in a way Four had become somewhat used to it. That wasn't saying that it was bad, but this sudden new pleasure was undeniable. It dripped affection like it was filled of fruitful bliss. Her hands massaged his shoulders and tried to show that it was alright, that this was okay, and Five who would have normally took a step back was much too bold. He needed something more and Three did too. He gently coaxed her into his lap and she eagerly followed suite and perched upon him, briefly breaking from the kiss.

"Four…" Five panted softly as she kissed with feather kisses along his patch. "Four, I… I just, I know this is sudden…" Any other words were lost as she playfully nipped at his lip. They didn't have time to be uncomfortable, she mentally concluded, they needed to take this chance, whatever it was. If this was their first and only time of romance then so be it. Five never argued after that point. His hands caressed the slope of her back, stopping at her coattails and trailing more forward to massage her hips with his thumbs. His breathing was unsteady as he closed his optic and let his hands paint the picture.

She meanwhile held onto his shoulders to balance her and gently rocked forward to slide closer. However, she unintentionally brushed the area between their legs together, spurring on increasing heat across her face. Five groaned a bit at the first stirring of a more intimate arousal. Slowly he pulled her hips closer and pressed the area to hers, gently rocking together. He didn't know what exactly he was causing to happen; she had a good idea but was too distracted to sign. It felt too good to stop for any conversation. Instead he just allowed his body to keep going.

It wasn't terribly long when something changed. He became very apparent of the object now jutting from between his legs and trapped underneath his fabric. It begged for release from its confines while Five saw fit to entirely ignore it at the present. Yet the second that Four fully noticed it she slid back a bit to look down and see it, even when Five tried to stop her with, "Four, wait, it's not…" A green light covered his cheeks and Four gave him a reassuring smile before kissing one of the lit cheeks and reaching out to touch his lower button. Her curiosity was overtaking her; she had to see what he looked like.

Everything felt sensitive as Four slowly undid the button on his front, but he didn't pull away and simply relished in her clever, little hands as his front was opened before her. The rod immediately revealed itself from his burlap and he found his optic trying to find somewhere else to look other than at it or at Four. Eventually it became apparent that it was going to be one or the other so he finally settled on looking to the female instead of at his part. She, however, stared at it fully with curiosity and something more foreign. Seeing the strange object made her warm in her core spread lower, especially since she knew of mating.

Five didn't look down, even when she rubbed her hand along the side of his rod in almost a questionable fashion. He instead gasped in a sudden pleasure that he hadn't felt before. He fought with his hips which wanted to thrust upwards in response to the warm pleasure. She paused hesitantly and Five sputtered a quick apology, part of him wishing to have more, the other wanting to absolutely vanish, but Four continued her soft petting and smiled encouragingly as she did so, trying to reassure him that it was alright.

As she continued to pet and caress Five felt a sudden want in his chest; a want to return the pleasure to her. He let his hand lay on her thigh affectionately before squeezing it gently. This caught the twin's attention who shivered and looked down in delight at the male's daring behavior. His hand massaged the thigh before sliding between the two legs on the lower belly, looking beneath and seeing the appearing opening between her legs. It was obviously her part and while Five had never seen one he had known about them from Two, who insisted that a good Healer needed to know about the Stitchpunk body.

Five gently brought his thumb closer to massage over Four's opening in a gentle brush. She gave a quick inhale of surprise and pleasure, and though it was silent Five took it as a positive sign and dipped his thumb in just a little bit. As he began to massage just inside of her she retorted by gently continuing her petting and caressing of his rod, both of them writhing in this newfound joy that could only be exchanged between them. That was, however, until Four seemed to become a little more desperate and since Five wasn't making any extra moves decided to sign a simple suggestion of, " _More?"_

Five swallowed, though the action was merely based on nerves as he lacked proper saliva or a throat. "You… You mean like… like further?" He asked hesitantly, "Like the rest of the way?" She paused hesitantly before softly nodded, a hot blush stretching across her cheeks to match his. It was now or never, she assumed, and she wanted it so badly. Five felt something new pass though; almost like a need, but a bolder one that instructed him exactly how to go about this. He gently coaxed her down onto the length of the fallen post, laying her gently on her back. She spread her legs slightly with an uncontrollable eagerness and he moved above her, looking down at her.

Four's hood had fallen back against the wood and revealed more of her usually hidden face. The soft color that contrasted with the pale blue of her body fabric. Her facial features were softer than even Seven's, which seemed soft in contrast to the many males of the group, but Five hadn't ever gotten a really good look at Four. There were also small differences that he could notice on her face that weren't like her twins. She noticed his staring and looked downwards in embarrassment. He found that he didn't have the same urge, instead he reached forward with his right hand and caressed her cheek affectionately.

She sighed silently before feeling him adjust slightly. He pressed the tip of his rod against her cylinder and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Then he began to press inside of the tightness that she provided. She gave another silent gasp at the sudden pressure as he started to move inside. He paused some of the way in and waited for her to relax, continuing to push in once she did. It wasn't especially painful this way, but it was definitely uncomfortable. By time he was fully inside and waiting for her to be ready the discomfort lessened considerably. Eventually she was ready to try more and looked to him before nodding.

"Are you sure?" Five asked again and received a small smile and a nod in response. He began to slowly pull out and could only attempt to smother a pleasured noise from the tight friction. He pulled out until he was resting almost fully out again, then began to slide back in slowly but without stopping. The first tingles of delightful warmth began to caress through her insides and spread along her spine. Four's optics flickered in happiness and attempted to coax Five to move faster, which he did. He couldn't hold back much longer.

Now they began a steady pace together, Four eagerly slid her hips to meet his to attempt and make their movements more impactful. The thrusting growing as they build the thrill between them. Waves of perfection numbed them to their current trouble, to the problems that the others were having, to everything other than what they had between them. A pale green had nearly engulfed them as though they were soul bonding, but this hadn't happened at all and Five could only speculate that perhaps their souls reached out as much as they did physically.

Though as wonderful as it all was it couldn't last forever and both were already building to some sort of finale at the end. Five looked to Four for some sort of sign, but she was almost gone, pupils shrunk as she rode through the continuing phenomenon. He couldn't hold out too much longer, but before he could reach his end Four reached hers. She physically looked like she was crying out and her optics glowed brightly as she arched her back, gripping onto his waist tightly and thrusting back. Her cylinder tightened around his rod as though she was unable to let him go.

Finally, eventually, she loosened enough that he could pull out. He quickly did and found that it somehow staved off his ending, perhaps because of how he went from friction to nothing. Four took a few seconds to pant and get her back in place. Then she realized what Five did, and what the Healer didn't do. Without warning she reached down and wrapped her hands around his rod before returning to a mock pace of when he was inside. It wasn't more than a few moments that Five began to thrust as well and abruptly hit his end, dark fluid spilling out of the tip of his rod onto her lower belly fabric.

He then collapsed beside her, managing not to fall off of the wooden object as the stared upwards at the sky above together, the dark sky looming overhead. A few moments passed as Five got his breath and Four went to turn over. She noticed a slight soreness in her hips, but was still riding off of the wondrous high brought on by their mating. Ignoring it she cuddled against his chest and sought affection during their afterglows. For a second Five remembered the others at the factory, but then quickly forgot about it as he wrapped his arms around her small body, holding her close to him.

Meanwhile, back in the foxhole, Three was beginning to become a bit bored. It wasn't like there was much to do here, especially with her twin off to comfort Five. Four had clearly had feelings for Five for a while. She herself had feelings for a certain striped Stitchpunk, though this wasn't exactly the time to address them, she assumed. Six was currently drawing in the loose dirt as a substitute to ink and paper, but he didn't look very happy. He occasionally shifted his body or grimaced. It suddenly occurred to her that perhaps Six was still feeling pain from the leg injury and she decided to approach him about it.

She wandered to his side and he immediately looked upwards to her with a smile. "Hello, Three." He greeted and she smiled before pointing downwards. He looked to his drawing, "My drawing? You want to draw with me?" He actually sounded a bit hopeful. Six didn't get a lot of time drawing with the others, or any really, and though it was tempting Three pointed to his leg insistently. "My leg?" Six quizzed before perking as he understood what she was inquiring. "It feel much better!... Well, it's a little sore, but it goes away." He rubbed his leg before smiling to her almost sheepishly, "I've hurt it before."

Three crouched down and reached forward to rest her hands on his lower leg. Then she gently began to rub along the fabric, her fingers trailing the stripes. Six didn't protest at all and merely watched her do so, sighing at the relief the squeezing touch brought, even with how hesitant he was to be touched. It was so strange to be stroked so lovingly after so long of being considerably a recluse, only getting physical contact from Five and Two. Three's hands felt different than theirs, it made his fabric feel like it was filled with bubbles inside, tingly and fluttery. He didn't feel like he could speak and instead moved his hands to his key.

The feeling was just so nice and reassuring that he found himself relaxing into it, laying back against the wall and closing his mismatched optics to get lost in the touches. He certainly got a bit too lost. Three affectionately caressed his leg, glad that they were getting actual time together, when suddenly something caught her attention. Something very apparent located between the male's legs. It seemed to appear without his notice and even though Three knew what it was she found herself still surprised. Her hands stilled and Six looked to her now in confusion, following her optics to what surprised her.

He gave a mix between a cry of alarm and a squeak before slamming his legs together and pulling them upwards against his chest. He struggled to cover himself and slowly turned his body in the opposite direction. "I- I didn't- I'm sorry!" He had only had the rod come out once after waking one morning and had asked One about it. He had taken from One's reaction that it was something that needed to be hidden. Three seemed to notice this and decided to try and comfort him; it certainly was shocking, but it wasn't anything to be ashamed of. If anything a part of the female felt somewhat flattered by the attention.

She tapped his shoulder in a friendly way and Six looked back over his shoulder, still shielding himself from full view. Three gave a smile and attempted to sign out that it was fine. Six, unlike Five and some of the others, hadn't fully learned sign language. In fact he was matched with Eight, who hadn't bothered himself by learning, and Nine, who hadn't had a chance to learn at all. Or he assumed Nine didn't know. He himself took more off of facial and body cues and Three's were just as relaxed and pleasant as they always were. "You don't… Aren't disgusted? By this?" He asked as he somewhat tilted his head downwards.

She insistently shook her head as though disturbed by the very idea. "I'm sorry, I couldn't… I didn't make it do it. It just felt good and just, somehow, it came out." He rambled uncomfortably with a relieved smile edging onto his striped lips. Three gave a silent giggle in her own bit of amusement at the odd situation. Afterwards they were still left with sitting there awkwardly until the twin had an intrusive thought. Most likely Six didn't know much about mating, which made this seem even more wrong, but part of her grew curious about the part regardless. She hesitated for a short while looking sheepish.

Finally she looked to the Artist. The Librarian looked questioningly to him, tilting her head a bit in questioning. Six looked confused and almost curious back, "Four?" She moved closer and took his arm as she coaxed him to turn and face her once again. He did obey slowly and she then started to coax his legs apart. He clutched his key harder, anxiety raising rapidly, but didn't pull away as he trusted the hooded female. She looked over the object pressing into the fabric between his legs with curiosity before reaching forward to touch over it.

She could feel the outline of the rod underneath the fabric and trailed her fingers over it. Six was beginning to press his hips forward against her hand in a way to gain friction from the pleasure and increase in, eventually stopping her. "Wait." He grasped her wrist and pulled her back, she was perplexed by it, and then slowly began to get his opening opened so that he could actually free the rod for her to touch. Immediately it caught her attention and as soon as Three was given a nod of confirmation she began to examine and touch once more.

It was warm to the touch as were most internal metals and as she gave it a fluid stroke his hips jumped forwards again, signaling that he enjoyed it. Three didn't know what her goal was other than wanting to see where she could go with this. She continued to massage and stroke the length in her grasp, using Six's noises and panting to figure out what brought on the most pleasure. It didn't take long for Six to be fully thrusting into her hands without any sort of control and soon after that his bucking increased until his end suddenly hit. He let out another cry, one that carried more weight with it, and black liquid spilled from him.

Three at first believed it was ink, but then realized that more likely it was some sort of oil. It was another curious finding and she now looked to Six who was trying to catch his breath. She couldn't resist but lean forward and press her lips to his cheek. His mouth twitched in a smile that she could feel through his cheek. He tilted his head upwards to kiss hers back before coaxing her down. She was fine with cuddling and sat down in his lap, her back facing his front, and expected to be held. Six gave her a warm hug before murmuring, "Can I?" Those two words were all he said so at first Three didn't know what he meant.

Until she felt his sharp fingers dragging along her lower belly and understood. He wanted to touch her too and even though she was incredibly embarrassed she found that she didn't want to turn him down. Instead she nodded and glanced downwards to see that her cylinder had already opened. Most likely the arousal began during when she was touching him. Either way he lowered his hands and began to pet her thighs softly, hesitantly. It was actually the hands themselves that were causing him to hesitate. He was feeling uncertain of whether he would hurt her or not.

When the tip of the pen nib traced her opening Three didn't feel the sharpness that was expected. Instead she felt a pulse, a tingle, excitement welling inside of her and a thirst for more. Her optics flickered as he continued to massage her in soft motions, but it wasn't enough. At first she could ignore it, but eventually the heat built until it couldn't anymore, being held back by the speed and pressure Six had to use so that he didn't hurt her with his hand. She was slowly driven mad by the simplistic and inoffensive touches. They were nice but they just weren't enough niceness to push her to her peak.

Six was startled when she stopped him halfway through. She was panting an obviously bothered while he was unsure, "Did I do something wrong?" He offered and she shook her head before blushing and glancing downwards. His rod was firm yet again and he was undeniably ready to go if she was. She looked off to the side to see out where Four and Five was to make sure they weren't returning. Six glanced down before looking back to her and turning her to face him, his sharp fingers upon her soft, grey cheek. "I think I know what to do…" His voice was quiet and heavy with arousal, sending shivers along Three's body.

Slowly he took her into his arms before pressing his lips against hers in a tender kiss. She eagerly kissed back, though almost froze when she felt him press his rod against her opening. Her hands found their way over his shoulders and her arms wrapped around his neck as she rested her head against him. Once she was fully braced Six began to slowly push in. She lightly trembled in the slight pain but didn't protest. It wasn't too long until he was fully inside of her. Six waited for a few moments to kiss her once again, he himself trembling in either anticipation or uncertainty, and Three moved her hands to pet his face.

Reassured and comforted, Six began to pull out before pushing back in, and now some of the pain was dissipating for Three. By the next thrust it was almost nonexistent and the pleasure was beginning to replace it. Soon they began a pace of desperate and needy thrusting, needing the pleasure, both of them clinging to it. Six's fingers gripped onto Three's back until he had to remove them, lest he tear her fabric. He rested them on the ground to hold himself and continued his momentum, clawing into the dirt desperately. Three's flickers of delight almost alit the foxhole as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

This feeling was one that neither had ever even taken a glimpse of before. Desperate and hungry, a sensation laced with love and ravaged by desire. Pressing them onwards towards their ending point. They didn't last long and perhaps it was because of how overly eager Six was becoming, how deeply Four was penetrated, and their already awkward mix was becoming even more so as their actions became more clumsy and much more needy. They continued to drive forward, needing so much more, until finally Six reached his climax. A few more thrusts followed as he spilled the dark, hot liquid into her.

Three fell right after from it and her optics flashed in pleasure as she clung to Six. He held her as she rode out the end of her pleasure. They lingered on the brink for a short while before simply cuddling together. Six held her tightly with a small smile and Three rested against his chest as she tried to mentally catalogue what she had just experienced. Eventually she just gave in and enjoy the moment, resting against her new mate.

* * *

One stared at the burning remains of the Factory in the distance. He was tired and filthy, but clutching the harpoon tightly in his lap as though afraid to release it. "So… They just flew off?" Nine asked in confusion from his position beside him. They were both sitting on a broken bottle looking at the view from where they were. One simply nodded and Nine continued to hold the confused look. Finally the older announced, "I doubt they made it far from here. We'll be able to find them on the way back to the Library." He insisted to the younger who looked down at the Talisman in his hand.

"Yeah… We probably should. Eight still looks shaky and Two's probably halfway in the sewer now." The younger male pointed out and One glanced back to Eight who was sitting against the phonograph. He had literally just had an out of body experience and was still trying to recover, but didn't look like he was doing a good job. "If we can't then I'll go out and find them." Seven volunteered and the leader nodded while the zippered male smiled at her. "I'll go with you." He naturally volunteered and One looked back towards the factory to watch it burn.

Maybe things were going to turn out alright. Even if there had been a few mistakes along the way.


	9. 3x4 Human!Punks: Secret Experimentations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally with some time alone, the twins decided to explore something that they've been contemplating for a while, especially with their changing relationships.

_**Secret Experimentations** _

_For 18_

There weren't many humans left in the world anymore. After the war it was only they who remained amongst the fallen, a rare few that couldn't be poisoned by the gas, and in these times they were still struggling to survive. Most of the Beasts were no longer a problem or too small for them to be a threat, but there was a problem with dwindling food supplies. Water was plentiful in the recent rains, especially because they weren't ill when it came to drinking slightly tainted water, so that wasn't a problem either. However, the need for food was more than enough.

Only recently a serious battle had injured most of their group, and yet almost everyone was going out to search for reserves. That was, except for older Sol, who broke both of his legs and was still attempting to recover. Regardless two others stayed back at their home as well, two younger twins who, while they weren't children, were quite a bit younger and smaller statured. Librarians by nature the two were identical twins and it showed in their similar features. Both had soft, blond hair and large green eyes that were full of interest to seek knowledge.

As it was when the war ended they were only mere numbers among the masses and, like the others, had renamed themselves once forming their new community. The male twin and the fourth numbered was slightly taller and had an easier time lifting heavy stacks of books. He had chosen the name Jack based on the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk, as it was one of his favorites. The female twin and the third numbered was a bit daintier but was quicker than her sibling, especially when it involved putting away books into their proper position. She had chosen the name Alice based off her favorite book.

They usually stayed in the Library section of their Sanctuary, which was a section of a few houses around said Library that had been fenced in and were being rebuilt. Most of the time they read and catalogued, and read, and sorted, and read more, and genuinely enjoyed their time learning together. However, recently there had been a discreet change in behavior between them, and when nobody was looking they started to become more affectionate towards one another. They knew enough to keep it hush from the others.

Especially their leader; he seemed to be quite hesitant to the idea of two males being together, so two twins would be nearly out of question. Alice made sure they had fully left while Jack continued working at the Library. Even though they had quite a day planned they couldn't get behind on their bookkeeping, and Alice could only smile as she waved goodbye to the others. She had been assured that Sol was still in bed, Leader Christopher, in fact, was very firm about them making sure he got rest no matter how he insisted he didn't need it.

As they stepped out of the gate she felt an eager smile cross her face. It was seldom that everyone left like this and as Gwen gave a final wave she realized that they had at least a few hours to themselves. She hurried back to the courtyard of the Library, shutting the heavy, iron gates and dashing inside. She passed the door to the hall, entering past the shelves of books that were casting shadows over the marble floor. To conserve light sources during the day the Library was alit with natural light from the large windows. It sent a faint, bluish glow over the entire building.

The female entered over the private study with a faint hint of red on her cheeks. She knew what they were going to try, something that they had read about but didn't really know about beyond some vague ideas from printed words. Alice could see her twin already seated at their reading table with a book pushed open. His brows were furrowed as he peered through his glasses at the pages. Both twins did wear glasses but Alice wasn't currently as she didn't need to when she wasn't reading. Jack was different, he was constantly wearing them unless sleeping, mostly because his vision was very near sighted.

Jack noticed the female Librarian entering and smiled to her in a friendly way before waving. He seemed to notice that something was amiss and tilted his head curiously. Alice followed by quickly signing to him that the others had all learn and that they were alone for possibly the entire afternoon. Immediately Jack perked and his face flushed. They both knew what this meant and shyness was sinking in. Finally Alice asked where they should do it before following with if they should do it. Jack nodded, pointing out that they both had been wanting to research it, and that they could always stop.

Alice nodded in agreement and asked about the bedroom again. Jack nodded and stood to his feet, accidently knocking the book he was reading off the table and dropping down into a crouch to grab it, stumbling clumsily. The female slightly giggled at her brother's antics and came to his side, kneeling down beside him. _"It's okay."_ She signed, _"We're just experimenting. That's all. It's nothing to be worried about."_ Jack gave her a crooked smile and the two stood, the male setting the book on the table before taking his sister's hand, they then hurried off.

Their bedroom was located here in the back of the Library and was a simple bedroom with two identical beds in it. The others didn't know that Alice and Jack had been sharing a bed for years and that the two beds were just a show, but would most likely assume that it was an innocent gesture, and it was. Most of the time at least. Until this moment when they were going to share a bed for their project. Alice sat down on one bed, the bed they usually slept in, and Jack sat on the opposite one. For a few seconds they sat there with small smiles of unsureness and yet intrigue.

It felt like they were doing something wrong, but in a way that made them even more eager. It was almost a mischievous thing in a way. _"Are you ready?"_ Jack signed slowly and Alice nodded, but neither made a move. Finally Jack seemed to frown as doubt crossed his vision. His twin smiled at him before standing and moving to flop down beside him, reaching out and wrapping her arms around him, nuzzling into his shoulder cutely. At this he started to relax and turned towards her, pulling her gently into his lap as he pressed his face into hers slightly longer blond hair. It smelled like soft vanilla.

He then tilted her head up a bit, she was eager for the familiar treatment coming, and their lips gently met at that moment. It wasn't the first time that shared a kiss laced with more passion, but it was the first time that they did so knowing that more was coming. Jack took this time to coax Alice to lay down on the bed, which she did eagerly, her head laying down on the virtually unused pillow as they continued petting and kissing. It was the beginning motions that came the easiest; they knew that this sort of thing began with kisses and cuddles, eventually building to something more powerful.

His hands betrayed him too quickly and slid down to caress her feminine waist. For the longest time he had not compared her to a woman, being so small and timid, she had always been a girl in his eyes. Though she had already began blooming long ago. Her natural age was already sculpting her body into something feminine and tender. He gently began to coax her clothes off of her, starting with her shoes, then her woolen blue leggings, her soft, yellow pinstriped dress, and the blue over coat she wore above all else. They had seen each other bare countless times, so this still felt like the easy part.

He removed her hood last, not counting her undergarments, it seemed like the most intimate item of clothing. Her underwear was a soft cream color, cupping her chest and caressing her hips like a very short skirt. Again, he had seen it before, but it was so more intimate now. She blushed heavily beneath him, slightly folding her arms to cover herself. _"It's okay."_ Jack reassured her before pausing. He was planning on reminding her that he had seen her skin before, more so back before they started having these romantic and confusing feelings. Instead he decided to say something else that crossed his mind.

" _You're beautiful."_ If Alice was blushing before her face broke out into something much darker and much redder. She timidly brought her hands upwards and signed, " _Really?"_ He nodded eagerly and leaned in to kiss her. She smiled happily and began to help him remove his coat as well, then the pinstripe vest underneath, followed by his shoes and pants. Then she removed his hood and gently removed his glasses. It was weird without them, but Jack was pleased to see her fully, as she was close enough that his vision could compensate. She leaned forward and nuzzled her forehead against his.

Jack sighed at the contact before inhaling sharply as his underwear was slowly removed. Soon it was tossed off with the others at the foot of their bed. Finally he started to remove her underwear, starting to kiss along her collarbone as he removed the top and bottom. He hesitantly cupped the side of one of her small breasts. It wasn't only age, she simply hadn't filled out as much as Gwen had at this age, perhaps to both Alice and Gwen's lamentations. Alice didn't understand why she didn't have a body like Gwen's, even though it was obvious that Gwen was an adult woman who was constantly on the move.

Though it didn't matter to Jack. He wasn't attracted to Gwen, he only saw her like a sister, which made it much odder when he was attracted to Alice who was his actual sibling. The soft touches got a soft exhale of pleasure out of the female who wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer. It was the same with him; he had yet to reach full maturity as the other guys. He wasn't as large muscle-wise or tall height wise as the guard, not as tone as the Healer, didn't have the gray locks of the Artist, and yet Alice found everything perfect. They were convinced that they weren't only born to be twins but to be something more.

Finally they decided to start, unsure and quiet confused, knowing only what they read. Jack pressed his firmness, which he was shocked that he had considering how nervous he was, and pressed forwardly as she eagerly opened herself for him. She looked to him before signing, _"Are we… supposed to do more?"_ Jack stared back before signing, _"I don't know."_ They sat there briefly before Jack gently pressed against her softness again, gently rubbing into it. Both he and his sister sighed in pleasure as gripped ahold of him tighter, kissing his shoulder reassuringly. A few more seconds of them pressing and rubbing against each other until finally he went to begin.

Slowly Jack began to push into Alice's warm and tight entrance. Perhaps too tight, it was almost impossible to push into so he slowed and waited until her body responded properly. There was a glint of pain in her glassy eyes, dampened by tears wanting to spill, and he kissed her cheek in apology. Alice forced a smile; it hurt, but she was okay with it. Once she felt ready to continue she started to press back against the male. In return he continued to push inside her depths at a steady pace. When she started to wince again he managed to stop and petted her hair until she was ready.

Soon he was all the way sheathed and finally Alice's body was starting to adjust to the intrusion. Jack was somewhat trembling in a mix of pleasure and nervousness as she nodded to him again, asking him to move. He slowly started to pull back out until only the tip was in. The entire motion was amazing, but he wasn't certain if she was ready for it, or if it would feel good for her too. After a few seconds Alice poked at him again and signed that he could keep going, " _I won't break."_ She reminded teasingly with an encouraging smile. Jack blushed, but felt immediately better and started to push back inside.

As it eased inside, Alice started to slowly feel a bit more pleasure than the pain, wiggling her hips a bit. Naturally, Jack hesitated again, but upon noticing that his twin was happy he pushed back inside. Once sheathed inside again he began to pull out, this time slightly quicker. A warm friction began to bud between them. The skin rubbing together was so soft and felt almost tingly between the two of them. Jack was more than eager to push inside faster and Alice started to move herself as well. She gently spread her legs apart to allow him deeper access.

The thrusts came quicker and Jack pressed into her neck, the female silently gasping and panting at the strange pressure growing inside of her. It was so deep in a location that she had never felt beforehand. She clutched at his back tightly, this driving him to move faster, slightly lifting her legs around his waist as he continues to thrust inside. Her head pressed back against the pillow as he continued to move inside her, leaning down to lay his lips across her collarbone. The heat in the room was growing around them as the motions grew more frantic. Both had already began to plummet towards their ends.

Alice could only feel the growing pleasure in her lower half and shivered in anticipation. It felt like a roaring quake inside of her body, one that was slowly growing stronger and threatening to finally toss her over the edge. She gasped as her body stiffened and with a last thrust from her brother. Her internal walls clamped down and she felt a jolt of pleasure up her spine. She arched her back and sputtered for breath, no noise other than a strange squeak as she rode the ecstasy. It felt like it took forever before she finally came back to reality, feeling satisfied and tired.

However, she noticed that Jack pulled out quickly, and Alice was confused. She looked to him in confusion as she noticed he wasn't finished. Though she quickly knew why. He didn't want to release inside of her and she understood. Turning over she reached down and wrapped her fingers around his firm hardness, beginning to pet it. Her twin only lasted a short while before erupting, climaxing hard as well as his release spilled out. Alice took the time to clean him and herself before they laid down together in the bed.

Jack pulled the soft comforter high over them so that only the top of their heads could be seen, covering their bareness. Then they simply stared at each there. Alice raised her hands and signed, " _That was so amazing."_ Jack smiled as he saw her do so and signed back, _"It was. Do you feel strange?"_ The female paused briefly before signing back, _"I feel pretty tired."_ Jack shook his head and corrected, _"I mean, between us. Does it feel weird?"_ She paused before shaking her head with a smile. She still felt just as comfortable and if anything felt more for her twin. " _I love you."_

Jack was relieved at this and slid closer, wrapping an arm around her and holding her as tightly as he could before signing back, " _I love you too."_ Alice followed by resting her head into the crook of his neck, resting an arm around him as she let her eyes close. He followed suite and soon both of them had fallen asleep, the previous actions being enough to wear their bodies out at the moment. Thankfully they were securely covered, or they hoped, and still had a few hours before the others were due back. The twins fell asleep with each other yet again. Their curiosity as well being satisfied.

Whenever Sol finally awoke he began to wobble around the Library on a pair of crutches. He was aching and sore, but needed to move around a bit, and noticed that the twins were being quieter than usual. Peering into their bedroom revealed why. They were both asleep in bed together with the blanket tucked high on them. Only tufts of their blond hair could be seen and Sol chuckled quickly. He attempted to be quiet as he crossed to the oil lamp and blew it out. He assumed they had pulled another all-nighter the previous night and that were so exhausted that they needed a nap.

He then left into the Library once more without suspecting a thing. The twins' newest secret was secure for yet another day.

_**FIN** _


	10. 9xChild: Just a Valentine's Day Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Child has something a bit different planned for 9 and him during Valentine's Day...

_**Just a Valentine's Day Dance** _

_For Eastan11_

Child was fine with celebrations and dates. As much as it seemed like he would be antisocial he tended to get involved when the Stitchpunks put something special together, such as a celebration or such. However, certain celebrations were a little bit harder for him to grasp than others. One in particular would be Valentine's day and it was because of one particular reason; every Stitchpunk seemed to steal any reasonable Valentine's Day gift and, if the gift was still repeated, it would lose its impact. It wasn't like Christmas where two Stitchpunks would be content with scarves. This had to be thought out.

Unfortunately Child was a bit too proud to do anything simplistic either. He was certain that if he mulled it over further he would be able to find something unique, but it seemed like his mind drew a blank at the thought of romance. It wasn't like still edible sweets were easy to find, flowers were much easier to find but not original and not specifically good for Nine, tools were okay but not that intimate, and nothing else came immediately to mind. There was, of course, the idea of mating but that wasn't anything new to Child's thoughts.

Child, perhaps, had acquired most of the Scientist's sexuality during his birth. As a new widow it wasn't as though Julius thought much or at all about mating, which possibly suggested why it was the first to go. On the other hand Child thought way too much about the process of both soul bonding and metal molding anyway. Though it was Two who unintentionally gave him the idea for what he had planned. Naturally he wouldn't actually tell Two his plight on the off chance that it would somehow get back to Nine. He doubted Nine would be upset, but he didn't want him thinking that he didn't care.

It was actually more when Eight had said he didn't know what to do for Valentine's Day that spurred the suggestion. Eight got by well in the romance department, he did best with sudden, small acts of affection. However extravagant acts of romance didn't come as easy. Eight was practical, not flashy, but fortunately Two was a bit of a hopeless romantic. Or in any case he knew what he wanted in a romantic situation and he wanted whatever he had read. It was a price that came with his reading of books about the sea, he stumbled upon a lot of romance very quickly.

"You can always light some candles to set the mood." Two suggested to the larger male who cocked a brow in confusion, "It doesn't work if we already use candles to light the room." The Inventor chuckled a bit and the Guard asked, "Then what's One doing with you?... Wait, don't answer that if it's-…" He cut off and Two insisted, "We've been together so long that we may just go with practicality. Not to say that there isn't romance in our relationship, even if One tries to play the role of the conservative Leader. Why, just a while ago for our anniversary One and I turned on the twins' phonograph and went dancing."

Suddenly Child's mind alit at the reference. Of course, dancing, that seemed simple enough. There was something sensual about two Stitchpunks brushing fabric so intimately. Especially when it involved Nine's incredibly warm burlap being massaged against his own. Unfortunately Two had unintentionally made this plan fail before it had even began by letting it be known that One had already done it. Now there was nothing unique about a romantic dance amongst a mess of candles while listening to the soft tune of the phonograph.

When Child thought back to that same sensuality once again it struck him firmly what he could do. It would still be a dance, of course, but something that the Leader wouldn't even imagine doing. So Child prepared as well as he could. He didn't tell the twins his exact plan, but informed them of his intention to use the phonograph and asked them to see to it that nobody walked in on him while he did. He drug in a few candles as per Two's instructions and suggestions. Not simply for ambiance alone; the back room was quite dark and needed something to lighten it up a bit.

He brought in only a single stool as well as he knew that it was all he would need at the moment. Once he was certain that the arrangement was adequate he began to bide his time. It wasn't until late evening that he had planned to take Nine to the room, but less than a few hours passed before Nine started to catch onto something. He eventually asked in a coy fashion, "So, you know, it is Valentine's Day. We should so something." He nudged the pale male, "You're being awfully quiet today. Anything in particular that you have planned or…?" It was obvious that he knew Child was planning something.

Child could only smirk to himself. There was no way that Nine had any idea what he had planned for today and no way that he knew what he was nudging towards. Yet the urge to begin already kneaded at his core and Child and he found that he couldn't resist going in a bit early, not if Nine was going to insist like this. "Perhaps I do… Come with me. I wanted to show you something." At that second Nine dropped everything and followed after his mate, curious and eager to see what he had in store. When they arrived at the phonograph Nine came to his own conclusion, "Wait…" He smiled, "Is this to be reminiscent of our first kiss?"

Child stared at Nine; he hadn't at any point even considered this notion and in a way it surprised him that he missed it. He gave an answer, "…Yes." He assumed it wasn't that much of a stretch, mentally excusing it with some sort of brief memory of reading about subconscious memory, and quickly tried to steer the conversation to focus on something else before he was found out. "I have something… A bit different planned for us tonight, but I assure you that you won't be displeased." He started to guide Nine towards the stool and the younger male suddenly inhaled audibly.

"You have that tone…" He pointed out and the other male arched a brow, resting his hands on his shoulders, "What tone, Puppet?" Nine chewed down on his burlap lip without teeth and murmured, " _That_ tone. That eager tone that you get." The pale one felt a smirk appear as his voice grew hushed and heavier with lust. "I won't deny that I'm eager for this." He led Nine to the stool and gestured for him to sit down. The zippered male eagerly did so, nearly toppling backwards as he fell heavily onto the stool before looking around at the candles.

"Now then, can you do me one small favor?" Child asked innocently enough and Nine nodded, "Of course." The albino moved behind him and gently began to puppeteer Nine's hands to grip the back of the stool, leaving his front unguarded and keeping him from falling back. "Stay right like this… Or…" He cut off and as expected Nine's curiosity did the rest of the work, "Or…?" Innocent or not it was obvious in his tone that he had no qualms with a romantic evening. He seemed to have expected it and it was obvious that he was growing a bit excited for what was to come.

"Or I will have to tie you into submission." He murmured into Nine's audio receptor with a raspy tone. The zippered male trembled beneath him and wondered exactly what would happen if this threat was went through with. "So you don't want me using my hands at all?" He offered, moving one to rest on his thigh and watching as the pale male's optics dropped down to it. "That's a shame, Child. You know how jittery my hands get." He gave a playful smile and Child's gaze intensified, but not in an angry way. More in an interested way as a small twitch of a smirk appeared.

Though Nine really didn't think Child was going to tie him up, so when the thread was suddenly tight around wrists which were now behind his back. He didn't really struggle, but he did test them once or twice to see if it was a loose knot for play. Strangely enough the other male had used a tight knot. Now Child slipped over to the Gramophone before turning it on, a soft rhythm filling the room. Suddenly Nine felt a little claustrophobic, however; if the music lured something, or someone, back here then they would see him in this position. He blushed just thinking about it.

Child hopped down from the Phonograph with a light sway and small smirk, crossing toward Nine. Midway through he did a brief turn in he steps, sliding in a tight circle before pulling as his cloak and dragging it off. He tossed it aside, ignoring where it landed and continued towards Nine, continuing these odd motions of turning and swaying. It wasn't until one of the final twists of his hips that Nine suddenly got an amused look, "You're dancing?" It was as though he couldn't believe it. Child had come off assertive with the male as though building for something intimate that he would be in control of. Yet all he was doing was some sort of strange dance.

Child looked immediately offended, "I am." He answered simply, now beside Nine and just pausing in his position. The zippered male cracked an amused smile, "No, no. Go on." He enticed, "I always said you didn't dance enough." The teasing only drove Child further and with a growl he crouched down a bit. Resting a knee on the bit of the wooden stool showing between Nine's legs. The position certainly felt intimate quick and Nine clammed up. "I suppose you are right. Dancing alone is silly, isn't it? More than a little droll… Unless, of course, you join me." A small smirk appeared once more.

"I would, but I'm sort of tied up at the moment." Nine responded playfully before Child remarked, "Then we will have to find a way without you standing, won't we?" He reached to lay his hands on Nine's hips, caressing them gently in his grasp. "Firstly, dancing requires quite a lot of hip movement, Poppet. You need to learn how to rock them in rhythm." He began to gently move them forwards and backwards. The motion soon managed to make Nine realize exactly how close the other's leg was to the area between his legs. Child's hands slid downwards, pushing the thighs together and rhythmically grinding.

While it didn't touch Nine at all he could still feel a warmth from the mere motion on his partially sensitive thighs. He started at Child whose optics were now closed with that same satisfied look on his face. Then he began to slide upwards, pulling his knee back as he moved forward to press his lips to Nine's own, briefly brushing their fronts together. Child pulled apart from him and slid off of him, the stool wobbling in protest, before circling him with a predatory gaze. He swayed his hips, turning slowly as he danced to the continuing beat of the music, waiting to move in yet again.

Then Child moved behind him, pressing his front against the other's back and sliding down sensually. His arms slid around Nine and fondled his zipper pull, tugging it down just slightly, triggering a soft groan from Nine himself. It was then that he realized a very hard and very obvious object brushed against his bound hands. It was still covered in fabric, hidden from sight, but that one moment revealed that Child was enjoying this much more than he had realized. Nine felt the heat grow even warmer between his legs and he wondered what more was coming.

Child's hips pulled back and soon his hands pulled back too, leaving the male somewhat open. The pale male started to move around the younger again before twisting about, turning the younger with him. Nine briefly felt as the stool lifted onto only a single leg and grasped onto the seat of it. "Who-oa!?" Nine called out in a somewhat warning as the albino chuckled. "Too fast for you, Poppet?" He offered with a chuckle before letting the stool land on its feet again before moving in again, standing practically over the male and peering down at him. He began to lean him back once more abruptly.

Nine clung to the stool with a gasp before suddenly Child leaned in to press them together. Their fronts pressed together and Nine suddenly realized that the bulge was pressed between his legs, firmly against where his warmth had culminated. It was too quick, however, and he began to slide upwards slowly. Between the nearly falling over and the grinding against his zipper track the young one was beginning to get dragged on further. He was becoming more and more aroused by this odd dance. Child pulled back to do a few strange turns and twists, moves he had studied when briefly reading on dancing.

"Child…" Nine murmured softly, rubbing his knees and thighs together, "Could you…?" Now Child interrupted with, "No." A smirk was still on his face as he turned around to face him, moving around a bit more, shuffling his legs about. The younger huffed a bit as the older slowly circled him again, disappearing behind him. "What's wrong? Aren't you enjoying this?" Nine felt a blush settle on his cheeks and he didn't respond. The arms slipped around him from behind again and Child leaned in close to his audio receptor, "Or would you prefer to dance with me?"

For a few seconds Nine didn't respond, but then came a soft, "We can dance together?" Child leaned forward to press a soft kiss on Nine's neck, "We can." Slowly he started to pull Nine from the stool, crouching down and lowering the other to the floor with him. It was awkward and yet something about dropping the other's lap seemed somewhat erotic. Or, at least, it got yet another jump out of him. He turned as best as he could, getting on his knees and pressing their lips together into a warm kiss. Their lips massaged and sucked with vigor as though sapping out as much pleasure as they could.

Then Child took ahold of Nine's hips and pulled him further again him, grinding their intimate areas together, and groaned as he felt the cylinder already opened and presented to him. "Creator, Nine." He straightened and attempted to lay the younger down, only for him to stop. "Wait, we can't." Child stared for a few moments with no visible reaction before Nine's words stumbled out. "My hands. I can't lay on them like this. We have to change positions." Child raised a brow, "I'm intrigued at the fact that you would rather change positions than be untied."

"Just two more things that can get in the way." Nine playfully excused before attempting to turn over before stopping. "Wait, no. This is no good either, I'll be face down." It was now that Child noticed the music had changed to another song as well. It wasn't as upbeat any longer and was now something softer, like a lullaby, and wasn't exactly appropriate for the situation. A few seconds passed before Nine straightened, followed by Child working him back into his lap. "I have an idea that may work." Nine perked and Child slid him in closer, letting the younger's knees rest on either side of his legs to where he was on his knees above him.

Child then leaned back slightly before opening his lower clasps, to which Nine caught on and blushed. "I think I understand." He smiled a little at how foreign it would be, how new the entire situation was, and still enjoyed every second of it. Child revealed his rod from its confines and helped balance Nine who lowered himself enough that his cylinder entrance brushed the rod. Nine sighed, Child groaned, and for a few seconds they paused there before Nine started to lower himself down. It wasn't the first time they had tried together but it had been a while since their last time.

He was so tight around him that Child nearly lost it. He held Nine's hips carefully, to ease the strain on the other's legs, but was letting Nine take control of the speed. The rod slid in inch by inch until it was fully sheathed inside of the warm cylinder. For a few seconds they waited there; Nine was already panting and Child was sure he was going to be doing so as well very soon. This was primarily for Nine, the dancing and the sensual tone, and yet part of him could only imagine this as a gift for himself. Especially with the younger male positioned above him.

Nine smiled a little to Child with his usual, lopsided grin. "You ready?" He offered and Child smiled back, "More than ever." With that Nine started to raise himself again with slight assistance from Child. Their pace started slow, but gradually gained speed, and it seemed that the faster it became the faster they wanted more. Ignoring any discomfort in his knees and thighs, Nine repeatedly dropped himself down onto Child's rod, crying out at every massage of the friction between their metals. It wasn't too long until climax felt near, but surprisingly to Child it was his own.

He never made it out to be a big deal but Child always seemed to get a feeling of success when Nine climaxed before him. Now he was not only on the bottom, but he was almost there, the pulsing pleasure in his lower half having so quickly rose to the edge. From the smirk that seemed to suddenly appear on Nine's lips it was obvious that he knew exactly what he was doing. He was bound, he had been teased, and yet now he was in a form of control. Child didn't want to let go even though he was so close that it was beginning to gnaw at his insides.

A numb ecstasy circling his lower half spread higher into his body as he clung to Nine's hips and thrust inside faster, pulling him down harder, and suddenly his back went rigid. He couldn't help but cry out as he erupted, filling Nine's depths with oil-like liquid. If there was any consolation, it was the shaky thrusts during the middle of the climax that sent Nine over the edge. He cried out as his cylinder clung to the rod inside it, unwilling to let go until it finished. After a few seconds of riding it out, Child was laying on the ground long gone, Nine managed to slide himself off before practically collapsing on his mate.

"Creator…" He gasped out quietly, listening to the other's echoing pulse that seemed to be pounding like his own. "If that was dancing…" He couldn't even finish the comment. Child reached around him to undo his hands; it wasn't too difficult and soon they were free to rub their wrists before circling their captor's middle. The music was still playing, slightly slower and seeming like it was winding down, and the two let it go as they attempted to recover from the motion. "Happy Valentine's Day, Poppet." Child softly murmured with a smile, resting his head on his mate.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Muffin." Nine replied back, chuckling a bit at the entire situation. "We've got to do this again. When's the next holiday?" Child didn't respond, but was quite certain that Nine was correct. He was certain he had some time before the next holiday to brace them once again. Perhaps he would even need to read more on dance moves and patterns, or find some new music. He would be sure that they made a habit of it; Nine would be disappointed if they didn't.


End file.
